Another arctic blast heads this way

By TIM HARLOW and BILL MCAULIFFE, Star Tribune

Last update: January 28, 2008 - 7:32 PM

It's going to be almost spring-like today in the Twin Cities with highs in the low 40s and even a chance of rain.

But don't get used to it. By tomorrow we'll be dealing with snow and dangerously low wind chills as another round of Arctic air charges into the area, the National Weather Service said.

A cold front moving across the state tonight into Tuesday will bring a chance of rain today and up to 2 inches of snow in east central Minnesota and western Wisconsin Tuesday. Blustery winds associated with the front will send the temperature free falling to a chilly minus 16 degrees by Tuesday night and wind chill values will register minus 30 degrees or colder, the National Weather Service said.

The predicted overall temperature swing of 58 degrees from Monday's high to Tuesday low is indeed extreme.

According to assistant DNR state climatologist Pete Boulay, the record swing in a 24-hour period is 71 degrees, when the temperature dropped 71 degrees from 78 to 7, at Lamberton on April 3, 1982. The Twin Cities' 24-hour record swing is 51 degrees, set on Dec. 26, 1903, when the temperature rose from 17 below to 34 above.

The predicted swing for midnight tonight to midnight Tuesday night is 46 degrees, from 34 above to 12 below. The last single-day swing close to that was on April 18, 1985, when the temperature fell 45 degrees.

The bitter cold will hang on until at least Friday. On Wednesday the high in the Twin Cities will only be around zero and wind chills will remain below zero. Thursday's high will be only 12 degrees, warming to around 20 degrees by Friday.

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