Expect Arctic freeze, snow, then milder Christmas Day

Christmas Day is likely to be on the mild side in what's expected to be a roller-coaster week for temperatures across Minnesota, the National Weather Service reported ­Sunday.

First up, however, is a blast of bitter cold.

Frigid air began to sweep into the state Sunday, triggering windchill advisories in the west and south. The Twin Cities could see temperatures drop into the minus-teens overnight Monday, meteorologist Bill Borghoff said.

The previous low for the metro area this month was 11 below on Dec. 7, he said.

Windchill advisories remain in effect through Tuesday morning, when a warm front is expected to deliver 2 to 4 inches of snow statewide on Tuesday.

The projected snowfall "certainly seems manageable," Borghoff said.

He cautioned that there may be blowing snow in the west, potentially complicating travel for Christmas Eve motorists unaccustomed to the ­conditions there, he said.

In St. Paul, where ­public works crews have taken repeated stabs at ­removing stubborn snow and ice, a larger-than-average day crew salted and sanded on Sunday in anticipation of snow overnight followed by falling temperatures Monday, city spokesman Joe Campbell said.

"We plan to get ahead of it," Campbell added.

Borghoff said that snow was expected to fall in the Twin Cities and the east through ­Monday morning, but that would not "amount to too much, probably an inch or less."

On Thursday, another shot of cold air is expected to hit the state. Temperatures then should begin to rise on Friday, Borghoff said, with highs eventually reaching into the 20s or even 30 on Saturday.

Anthony Lonetree • 651-925-5036