Is it possible we already experienced the coldest air of the winter? Yes, but I’m not sure I’d take that bet. The Twin Cities saw minus 11 degrees on Dec. 14. Despite 20 consecutive days below freezing in December, the overall heating season is running 1.3 degrees warmer than average (unusually mild September/October coupled with the recent thaw). I was surprised by that stat, too.
The last time the coldest air of winter arrived in December was 2000-2001 and 1983-1984.
Our January thaw has brought five days at/above 32 degrees at MSP. The last time there was no January thaw? 2011.
A storm Thursday night is expected to brush southeastern Minnesota with a couple of inches of fresh snow. A colder slap may squeeze out an inch of powder Saturday, with more clippers dropping a few inches in the next one to two weeks, but no big knockdown, drag-out snow events. A few more days in the 30s next week, then noticeably colder the last 10 days of January. Not polar-vortex cold but cold enough.
