2022 Starts On A Bitterly Cold Note, But 20s Return Monday!

This is not how many want to start the new year, but 2022 is coming in COLD. By Saturday morning, air temperatures will be around -10F in the metro, but in the -20s as you head into northern Minnesota. Some areas could even approach -30F.

Once you factor in the wind, we'll see wind chills dip as low as -27F in the Twin Cities and into the -40s up across northern Minnesota. Numerous Wind Chill Advisories and Warnings have been issued across the state for Friday Night into Saturday morning.

As we look across the state, northeastern and southeastern Minnesota will be the warmest locations on Saturday as highs climb into... the single digits above zero (barely). Most locations will stay below zero through the entire day, and across western Minnesota, highs could be over 30F degrees below average in the teens below zero.

A closer look at the Twin Cities on Saturday shows a mix of sun and clouds in the forecast with those temperatures staying below zero throughout the day.

And here's a look at those feel like temperatures throughout the day in the metro. With that northwest wind around 10 mph, feels like temps will be stuck at or below -20F all day.

And with highs not making it above zero during the day Saturday, that means it's going to be cold for the Winter Classic at Target Field Saturday evening. Temperatures will be in the single digits below zero throughout the game, feeling more like -20F. According to an article Tuesday evening, the NHL still plans on holding the game despite the cold weather. That article also had this fun, cold tidbit: "The coldest NHL outdoor game was the first, the Heritage Classic between the Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton on Nov. 22, 2003. The temperature at face-off was 0; the crowd was 57,167."

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But I do have some good news. As we head toward the first few days of the work week we'll see a jump up in temperatures - back above average, even! But then you start to see the other shoe drop again with a high only in the mid-teens Wednesday. So enjoy the warm-up while it lasts... hopefully, we'll be able to get some of the icy streaks off the roads that are still there.

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Embracing Change - And Arctic Cold Fronts
By Paul Douglas

The classic "It's a Wonderful Life" has a wonderful line: "No man is a failure who has friends". I've been blessed with interesting friends over the years.

With icy fingers extended, Old Man Winter welcomes you to the coldest day since Feb. 14, when the high at MSP was -4F. I expect a maximum temperature of -5F, with a windchill of 20 to 30 below much of the day. If you're heading to the NHL Winter Classic at Target Field eat a little ice cream to warm up. Pioneer Cold.

In the coming weeks I see more cold than snow, the main storm track shoved south of Minnesota, as wave after wave of arctic chill bullies its way south. Probably not record-breaking, but numerous subzero nights and a few subzero highs into mid-January. Mercifully bug-free.

Have a happy, safe New Year.

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Paul's Extended Twin Cities Forecast

SUNDAY: More sunshine, still brittle. Wake up -15. High 6. Chance of precipitation 0%. Wind SW 5-10 mph.

MONDAY: Partly sunny, time to exhale. Wake up 4. High 28. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind S 8-13 mph.

TUESDAY: More clouds, a quick thaw. Wake up 24. High 32. Chance of precipitation 20%. Wind SW 8-13 mph.

WEDNESDAY: Another polar punch. Feels like -20. Wake up -2. High 2. Chance of precipitation 20%. Wind NW 10-20 mph.

THURSDAY: Subzero all day. Dangerous wind chill. Wake up -13. High -7. Chance of precipitation 20%. Wind NW 8-13 mph.

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Minneapolis Weather Almanac And Sun Data
January 1st

*Length Of Day: 8 hours, 51 minutes, and 7 seconds
*Daylight GAINED Since Yesterday: 50 seconds

*When Do We See 9 Hours Of Daylight: January 9th (9 hours, 0 minutes, 29 seconds)
*Latest Sunrises Before We Start Gaining Morning Light: 7:51 AM between December 30th and January 5th
*Next Sunset At/After 5 PM: January 17th (5:00 PM)

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2003: On this date there is an inch or less of snow on the ground from Duluth to the Iowa border. In the Twin Cities there isn't even a dirty snowbank to be found.

1997: Freezing rain causes numerous accidents along the North Shore. In Lake County, vehicles could not get up hills and were blocking roads. Highway 61 was closed for several hours from Two Harbors to Silver Bay.

1864: Extremely cold air moves into Minnesota. The Twin Cities have a high of 25 degrees below zero.

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For the first day of the new year on Saturday, a system moving out into the central United States will bring the potential of snow and ice from the central Plains into the Great Lakes and, eventually by Sunday morning, parts of the Northeast. This system will also be responsible for an Enhanced severe threat across the Deep South and Tennessee Valley with the potential of damaging winds and strong tornadoes.

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The Year in Climate News

More from the New York Times: "2021 was yet another year that felt like five. It began with a presidential transition, riots at the Capitol and a blackout in Texas. Before summer had even begun, drought, heat and fires had already torn across the West. The Biden administration faced a number of challenges to its climate agenda at home. And then came the United Nations international climate conference in Glasgow in the fall."

It's 65 Degrees in Alaska—in December

More from Gizmodo: "Ah, another day, another incomprehensible temperature record. This time, the unwanted accolade goes to Alaska, which set a statewide temperature record for December just days before the end of the year, according to the National Weather Service. The Kodiak Tide gauge recorded temperatures for the state hovering at 67 degrees Fahrenheit, a number one would expect in early autumn New York during non-doom times. More alarming still were the daily temperatures set in particular Alaskan locales. Kodiak Airport, located in Kodiak Station, recorded temperatures of 65 degrees Fahrenheit, 9 degrees higher than the station's previous all-time high. Kodiak City also shattered its own single-day record by a jaw-dropping 20 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. To put that in perspective, in addition to setting the December record, the 65 degrees seen in Kodiak was the highest on record for the city for any day in November, January, February, or March. Cold Bay, a small town in the Alaska Peninsula, meanwhile beat its own daily record by 18 degrees Fahrenheit."

More from Inside Climate News: "Toyota said it will pour $35bn into a shift towards electric vehicles as the world's biggest carmaker sets itself up for direct rivalry with Tesla and joins other groups in a push for carbon neutrality. It marks a major increase in its electric targets as it aims to sell 3.5 million battery-powered vehicles annually by 2030, with the launch of 30 EV models by then in a line-up including sports cars and commercial vehicles. The company has in the past argued that a longer-term fix for global warming should be a mix of hybrids, EVs and hydrogen-powered vehicles instead of a single bet on battery-powered cars."

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Thanks for checking in and have a great day! Don't forget to follow me on Twitter (@dkayserwx) and like me on Facebook (Meteorologist D.J. Kayser).

- D.J. Kayser