"On February 1 and 2, Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) will reach its closest point to Earth. It'll sweep 27 million miles away (that's 44 million km, or 0.29 AU). At that point, it'll still be more than 100 times the moon's distance away. The last time this comet passed near the sun was 50,000 years ago, when Neanderthals walked the Earth. Now, as the comet returns, it could be the brightest comet of 2023, so be sure to catch it while you can! Details for live and online viewing below. See the comet in the sky Note! February's full Snow Moon will arrive on Sunday, February 5. So there's a bright moon in the sky for much of the night now. The best time to look for the comet is after moonset, which means you'll want to try your luck in the hours before dawn. You'll be looking northward to see the comet. At its closest approach on February 1 and 2, it'll be in the direction of the north circumpolar constellation Camelopardalis the Giraffe. Its northern location on our sky's dome means Southern Hemisphere stargazers don't have a good view of this comet. For them, the body of Earth will block it from view. But – if you're in the Northern Hemisphere – use the star charts below to track it down. Be sure to check Stellarium for a precise view from your location, at the time you want to watch."

See more from Earth Sky HERE:

The Twin Cities had 2.25" of liquid this January, which is the 7th wettest on record. This was the wettest January since 1999, while the wettest was back in 1881 with a remarkable 4.34" of liquid that year.

Despite the recent cold weather, temperatures in January were above average by nearly +4.0F to 5.0F. We were also well above average in the precipitation and snowfall categories as well. 22.3" of snow fell in January, which will go down as the 9th snowiest January on record at the MSP Airport.

Here's the 850mb temperature anomaly through the upcoming weekend. Note that it'll still be quite cold with another surge of Arctic air moving in late week. However, we'll see a pretty dramatic warm up as we slide into the weekend with temps warming to above average levels once again.

The NBM extended temperature outlook for Minneapolis shows pretty chilly temps in place though the week ahead. Friday will be another very cold day with highs only warming into the single digits and subzero wind chills. Readings will then warm back into the 20s and 30s for the first weekend of February and into the first full week of the new month.

Bitterly cold wind chills will continue through the week ahead with subzero wind chill values dipping into the -10s and -20s.

As of Monday, January 30th, the MSP Airport recorded 11" of snow on the ground. Meanwhile, there's nearly 2ft of snow on the ground in Duluth, across northern Wisconsin and the UP of Michigan. Meanwhile, nearly 1.5ft of snow is on the ground in International Falls.

Here's how much snow fell across the region in January. Nearly 2ft. of snow fell from Sioux Falls to Minneapolis, which was nearly 1ft. above average.

Taking a look at snowfall since July 1st, many locations have seen above average amounts so far this season, but folks from near Sioux Falls to the Twin Cities and towards Duluth are nearly 20" to 30" above average this month. 55.5" of snow has fallen at the MSP Airport, which is the 5th snowiest start to any season on record.

The weather outlook for the Twin Cities on Wednesday, February 1st shows below average temperatures in place once again with a high topping out around 20F under mostly sunny skies. It'll be another sunny day with subzero wind chill values in the morning positive readings during the afternoon.

Temps across the region on Wednesday will be below average once again with readings running nearly -5F to -10F below average. Folks across far northern Minnesota will only warm into the single digits above zero.

Feels like temps on Wednesday will be very cold in the morning with readings around -10F. We'll warm into the single digits above zero to near 10F in the afternoon.

Here's the weather outlook through the rest of the week and the upcoming weekend. Areas of ongoing wintry precipitation, including icing will continue across the Central US through midweek. Meanwhile, areas of heavy precipitation will continue across the South with a chance of severe thunderstorms along the Gulf Coast. Meanwhile, areas of rain and snow will be possible across parts of the West Coast

The extended temperature outlook for Minneapolis through the rest of the week keeps colder than average temperatures in place as we slide into February. The coldest day ahead will be Friday, but a milder weather will be in place this weekend with highs approaching the 30F mark.

It'll be cold this week with temps running well below average temps. We'll warm up this weekend with a slight chance of snow on Saturday.

According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the 8 to 14 day temperature outlook shows cooler than average temperatures across much of the Southwestern US, but warmer than average temperatures will settle in across the eastern and especially the northeastern part of the nation.

"Past performance is no guarantee of future results" reads the financial disclaimer. No kidding. We had an entire winter's worth of snow during the first HALF of winter, but there is no guarantee we'll pick up another 55" between now and April. In fact I rather doubt it. 70-75" for the winter seems realistic, but we'll see.

We've overperformed on snow, but arctic cold fronts have been few and far between. January in the metro was 5F warmer than average. With 22.3" last month was the 9th snowiest January on record at MSP with 2.25" precipitation (7th wettest on record).

In spite of this week's plunging temperatures a Pacific wind blew into Minnesota most of January, and this moderate west-to-east flow returns this weekend. We are at the stage of winter where 30 above zero qualifies as a meteorological treat.

After one more chilling clipper Thursday and Friday expect a moderating mercury this weekend with 30s, even an outside shot at 40F Sunday. No week after week of subzero cold. No Polar Vortex. Whew..

WEDNESDAY: Some sun, not as Nanook. Winds: SW 5-10. High: 20.

THURSDAY: Windy, turning colder again. Winds: NW 10-20. High: 12.

FRIDAY: Sunny and cold. Less wind. Winds: SE 5-10. Wake-up: -8. High: 4.

SATURDAY: Sunny peeks, feels better. Winds: S 10-20. Wake-up: 3. High: 30.

SUNDAY: Partly sunny, thawing out. Winds: W 10-20. Wake-up: 29. High: 38.

MONDAY: Marchlike, light mix possible. Winds: SE 8-13. Wake-up: 30. High: 36.

February 1st

1931: A 'heat wave' develops across southern Minnesota. St. Peter hits 60.

February 1st

Average High: 24F (Record: 54F set in 1931)

Average Low: 9F (Record: -28F set in 1951)

Record Snowfall: 4.3" set in 1899

February 1st

Sunrise: 7:32am

Sunset: 5:20pm

Hours of Daylight: ~9 hours & 48 minutes

Daylight GAINED since Winter Solstice (December 21st): ~ 1 hour & 1 minute

3.5 Until Full Moon

"12:29 p.m. CST - Usually, the heaviest snows fall in this month. Hunting becomes very difficult, and hence to some tribes this was the Full Hunger Moon."

Temperatures across the nation will be quite a bit colder than average. Some locations will be nearly -10F to -20F below average, especially in the Southern US, where significant icing will be possible.

The weather outlook for Wednesday shows active weather in place across the Southern US. A number of winter weather headlines have been posted from Texas to parts of the Ohio and Tennessee River Valley, where an ice storm will unfold.

According to NOAA's Weather Prediction Center, the extended precipitation outlook shows heavier amounts in the Southern US. There will also be heavier pockets of precipitation in the Western US.

According to the ECMWF (European model), heavy snow will be found across much of the high elevations in the Western US. There will also be decent snowfall potential in the across parts of the Great Lakes Region.

Last year was an excellent one for amateur astronomers. Stargazers in the United States saw two total lunar eclipses, a spectacular "ring of fire" solar eclipse and a rare alignment of the planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. This year promises another amazing set of celestial events, including dark skies for the two most anticipated meteor showers: the Perseids and the Geminids. To watch these and other phenomena, all you'll need is a dark location, weather-appropriate gear and occasionally a set of binoculars. To help you plan your nights out in 2023, we've compiled a list of the ten biggest celestial events of the year.

See more from Smithsonian Mag HERE:

"Excited weather watchers have captured stunning images of rare "mother of pearl" clouds, which have formed high up in the atmosphere over Scotland. Such clouds tend to develop in the extremely cold air above polar regions, but were spotted on Sunday evening and Monday morning by BBC weather watchers in Aberdeenshire, the Highlands and Moray. Also known as nacreous or polar stratospheric clouds, the formations are some of the most beautiful to be found in the twilight sky. They gain their name from the iridescent pastel colours produced as the sunlight diffracts around the tiny ice crystals inside them. One BBC weather watcher called the clouds "absolutely fantastic" after photographing the spectacle at sunset. "What a fantastic sight to behold," they added."

Afirefighter on the Hawaiian island of Maui was swept into a storm drain by powerful floodwaters and dragged for thousands of feet. The man, who has not been named, was sucked into a 4-foot-wide storm drain in Kihei on Friday while attempting to clear it of debris. He was then dragged 800 yards through the drain to where it exited into the sea. "There were crews from our county public works there as well, who were able to provide quick information on what the path was for the drain, and where eventually anything flowing through the storm drain, would end up," Mahina Martin, chief of Communications and Public Affairs for Maui County, told Hawaii News Now.

See more from Newsweek HERE: