Extreme cold watch issued as temperatures in Minnesota to sink below zero for days

Bundle up, Minnesota. Winds from the north are about to plunge the state into the deep freeze, with temperatures likely staying below zero for 60 hours starting the night of Jan. 22.

This won’t be about typical January nights, with readings a few degrees below zero. A strong high pressure system will allow temperatures to sink to near 20 below in the Twin Cities and in the 30s below zero in northern Minnesota on Thursday night. Highs won’t make it into positive territory again until the afternoon of Jan. 24 in the Twin Cities, and maybe not until Monday north of there, according to National Weather Service forecasts.

Windchill readings will be even lower, the Weather Service said, knocking on the dangerous category of minus 40. The Weather Service has issued an extreme cold weather watch in effect from Thursday night through Saturday morning for most of Minnesota. An extreme cold warning will be in effect from midnight Wednesday to 6 a.m. Thursday across the counties along the Canadian border.

“It’s definitely another level of cold,” said assistant state climatologist Peter Boulay.

To go with it, a blizzard warning was in effect until 7 p.m. Wednesday in southwestern Minnesota, the Weather Service said.

While the arctic blast is unlikely to set any temperature records in the Twin Cities, the cold snap will be notable, Boulay said.

“It’s hard to get to minus 20″ in the metro, Boulay said. The last time that happened was in 2019. Last year, the Twin Cities almost got that cold on Jan. 21, when the mercury touched 19 below, the lowest reading of the season.

Still, this weekend will be “plug-in-your-car” cold, Boulay said.

“Dress in layers, including a hat, face mask, and gloves if you must go outside,” the Weather Service said, adding that windchills as low as 45 below zero could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes.

Motorists should pack an emergency kit that includes boots, blankets, gloves, a cellphone charger, water, nonperishable foods and a flashlight in the event their vehicle breaks down, said Brynna Knapp, spokeswoman for AAA Minnesota.

She also warned that it might take longer for tow trucks to reach motorists who are stranded as “we definitely expect to see an influx in calls,” she said. Extra tows will be ready to respond, Knapp added.

Dead batteries and flat tires are the top reasons for service calls, she said as “extreme cold has an impact on vehicles.”

“Put on an extra layer. Even a short wait at your stop can be dangerous if you’re not dressed for the weather,” the agency said.

The forecast calling for frigid conditions and winter weather elsewhere prompted Amtrak to cancel all Borealis trips between St. Paul and Chicago on Thursday and Friday. Runs of the Empire Builder from Seattle and Portland to Chicago with stops in St. Paul have been scrubbed Friday through Saturday with no alternate transportation provided, the railroad said.

Since 1873, the temperature in the Twin Cities has remained at or below zero for at least four consecutive days a total of 28 times, with the most recent occurrence being a four-day stretch ending Feb. 15, 2021. Last year, the metro saw a streak of 66 hours of below zero temperatures from 7 p.m. on Jan. 18 to 1 p.m. Jan. 21.

The bitter cold is arriving right on time for the folks putting on the St. Paul Winter Carnival. The celebration marketing itself as the “Coolest Celebration on Earth” has battled with warmer-than-usual weather in recent years, putting a damper on some events requiring ice and snow. Last year, high temperatures were in the 30s and 40s during most of the event and even reached the 50s at one point.

Lisa Jacobson, executive director of community partnerships for the St. Paul Festival and Heritage Foundation, which puts on the Winter Carnival, welcomes the chill.

The carnival runs Jan. 22 to Feb. 1.

Ice carver Tom Klug is ready to layer up and battle the elements.

“This is Minnesota, this is who we are and what we do,” said Klug, 45, of Hastings. “I would rather be carving in the bitter cold than 40 degrees. I just remind myself why I’m out there doing this, and for me personally it’s all about seeing the excitement on peoples’ faces and making memories for the young families.”

The coldest air of the season also arrives just in time for the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships on Lake Nokomis in south Minneapolis. The tournament drawing teams and spectators from across the country runs Friday through Sunday.

Two years ago, organizers had to call off one weekend of the tournament because of warm weather and deteriorating ice conditions. That won’t be the case this year.

After the deepest cold passes, temperatures will start to moderate Sunday into the middle of next week, but likely stay below the average of 24 degrees for late January. Another cold plunge could arrive late next week, Benz said.