As Santa and his sleigh come to town, so does extreme cold

Hearts may be warm on Christmas Eve in the Twin Cities, but the day itself will be chilly, with highs reaching only into the teens.

Some advice? Enjoy it.

Sunday's temperatures will be the warmest in the Twin Cities for the foreseeable future, according to the National Weather Service in Chanhassen.

With Santa and his reindeer will come a rush of cold air Sunday night, along with the possibility of a dusting of snow, but "generally speaking, dry weather for the Christmas weekend," Jacob Beitlich, a meteorologist with the Weather Service, said Saturday.

By Monday — Christmas morning — highs will only get to around 0 degrees in the Twin Cities, and well below if you go north. Meteorologists expect the same for Tuesday.

As for lows, northern Minnesota can expect -20 to -25 lows starting Sunday night and running through Tuesday morning.

On Saturday, Gov. Mark Dayton issued an executive order in response to a request from Clay County, in northwestern Minnesota, to activate emergency shelters for anyone in need of shelter from the extreme cold. The Fargo-Moorhead area is a busy hub for travelers, particularly during the holidays.

In the metro area, lows will land between 0 and -10 in the next few days. Those temps bring both good news and bad news.

The good news: Sunshine. Other than a few clouds Sunday, look for brilliantly sunny skies.

The bad news: "There's no significant warmup in sight," Beitlich said.

The weather will not include significant snow, forecasters say — a disappointment to outdoors sports lovers pining for a snowpack for snowmobiling, cross-country skiing and other recreation.

On the other hand, ice rinks won't be melting under your skates.

The Weather Service is strongly encouraging holiday travelers to pack their cars with blankets, boots, hats and gloves, should any problems arise.

And, "maybe trade in the milk for a cup of hot chocolate for Santa," Beitlich said.

He added, "That's not official Weather Service advice."