Thanks to @aweidner22 for the picture below. These sun dogs were captured in Otsego, MN early Friday morning when the air temperature was near -20F. The MSP Airport dropped to -17F, which is the coldest temperature in the metro since -17F on February 15th, 2021. The coldest temperature recorded at the MSP Airport last winter was -19F set on February 14th, 2021.

Below is a chart of the coldest low temperatures recorded at the MSP Airport since 2000. Our -17F on Friday morning, January 7th, 2022, ties for the 12th coldest reading since 2000. Last year we dropped to -19F on February 14th. Note the coldest reading was -28F set on January 30th, 2019. Interestingly, we've only dipped to -20F or colder 9 times in a 21 year time span (since 2000). Prior to 2000, the 21 year time span from 1978 to 1999, MSP dropped to -20F or colder 45 times!

According to Climate Central, there has been a trend in less extreme cold temperatures since 1970. In fact, since 1970, the lowest temperature each year has warmed nearly +12F since then. Sure, it can still get cold in winter, but the cold tends to be less intense and it tends not to be as prolonged as it was.

According to Climate Central, the average Winter temperature for the months of December - January - February, has increased nearly +5.7F in Minneapolis since 1970. Again, winter will still be cold, but the cold is certainly not as intense or as prolonged as it was.

Here's the weather outlook through AM Wednesday. Other than a little light snow across far northern Minnesota on Saturday, the next several days look rather quiet across much of the Upper Midwest. There could be a little light snow across far southern MN late Sunday night into early Monday morning, but it doesn't look to be very widespread.

Here's the 850mb temp anomaly through the the middle part of next week shows a brief warmup on Saturday before another cold punch arrives Sunday. This Arctic air could stick around through early next week, but risk of a thaw moves in by the middle part of next week. We could see a +50F temperature swing from what we had Friday morning to high temperatures by Wednesday of next week.

Here's the weather outlook for Minneapolis over the weekend. Note that high temps on Saturday will warm to near 30F, which will be significantly warmer than it was on Thursday and Friday. This warmer weather will be very brief as another cold slap arrives overnight into Sunday with highs falling back into the single digits with sub-zero feels like temps.

The hourly temps for Minneapolis on Saturday show temps starting in the teens the morning and warming into the upper 20s to near 30F by the afternoon. Breezy south to southwesterly winds will turn west-northwesterly late in the day, which will allow our temps to fall again overnight into Sunday.

Feels like temps for Minneapolis on Saturday show a cold, sub-zero start in the morning to the mid/upper teens in the afternoon. Thankfully it won't feel as cold as it was on Thursday & Friday. However, Sunday will feel sub-zero for much of the day as another polar punch arrives through early next week.

High temps across the region on Saturday show readings warming into the 20s and 30s across much of the state, which will be nearly +5F to +10F above average for early January. It will be a bit breezy, so feels like temps will be cooler, but not as cold as it was on Friday. Regardless, enjoy the mild air because Sunday will be cold once again.

The extended temperature outlook for Minneapolis over the next several days shows temps running above average by nearly +5F on Saturday. However, look at how chilly it gets Sunday and Monday with highs running well below average as another polar punch arrives. We get back to near average on Tuesday and then well above average by Wednesday with a risk of a thaw with highs warming into the low/mid 30s!

The extended weather forecast through next week shows another Arctic plunge on Sunday and Monday before mild air return during the 2nd half of next week. In fact, several days late next week could warm to the freezing mark or better, which will be nearly +50F warmer than it was Friday morning.

According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the 8 to 14 day temperature outlook shows below average temperatures moving back into the Upper Midwest by the middle part of the month. Meanwhile, folks along the West Coast will be dealing with above average temps.

According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, drier weather will be in place across the West Coast in mid January, while more active weather will be possible along the Front Range and the Gulf Coast States.

Frigid temps on Friday morning gave way to a brilliant sun dog sunrise over the southeastern horizon. Many locations outside the Twin Cities metro dipped into the -20s and even -30s with even colder wind chills. Uffda!

The MSP Airport fell just shy of a -20 degree reading, but it was the coldest morning in the metro since February 15th, 2021 (-17F). The last time the core of the metro dipped to -20F or colder was January 30th, 2019 (-28F)! Interestingly, the MSP Airport has only dropped to -20F or colder 9 times in the last 21 year since 2000. The 21 years prior to that (1978-1999), MSP dipped to -20F or colder 45 times!

According to Climate Central, our winter cold snaps are not as intense or as prolonged as they used to be. In fact, our average winter temperatures has warmed nearly +6F with the our coldest overnight lows warming nearly +12F since 1970. Yes, winters will still be cold and snowy, but maybe not as bad as they once were.

We'll see, but remember this: in 2 weeks average temperatures start to rise again, for the first time in 6 months. Eureka!

SATURDAY: Breezy. Warmer PM hours. Winds: WSW 15-30. High: 30.

SATURDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy & cold. Feels like -10F to -15F. Winds: WNW 10-15. Low: -1.

SUNDAY: Cold winds. Another polar shot. Winds: WNW 10-15. High: 7.

MONDAY: AM Flurries south. Arctic temps. Winds: WNW 5-10. Wake-up:-10. High: 1.

WEDNESDAY: Mostly sunny. Risk of a thaw. Winds: WSW 5-10. Wake-up: 12. High: 32.

THURSDAY: Another 'mild' day. Hazy PM sunshine. Winds: WNW 5-10. Wake-up: 19. High: 33.

FRIDAY: AM snow showers. Cold winds develop. Winds: N 10-20. Wake-up: 15. High: 28.

January 8th

1902: A January Thaw occurs across Minnesota. The Twin Cities experience a high of 46 degrees.

Average High: 23F (Record: 54F set in 2003)

Average Low: 8F (Record: -30F set in 1875)

Record Rainfall: 0.33" set in 1875

Record Snowfall: 3.0" set in 2015

January 8th

Sunset: 4:44pm

Hours of Daylight: ~8 hours & 59 minutes

Daylight GAINED since yesterday: ~ 1 minute & 21 seconds

Daylight GAINED since Winter Solstice (December 21st): ~ 13 minutes

0.5 Days Before First Quarter Moon

The weather outlook through the weekend shows a line of showers and storms developing along and east of the Mississippi River Valley late weekend and into early next week. Some of the storms could be a bit on the vigorous side with locally heavy rains. Areas across the Ohio Valley, Great Lakes and Northeast will see some freezing precipitation and snowfall.

According to NOAA's Weather Prediction Center, areas of heavy precipitation will be found in the Lower Mississippi Valley through the weekend. Meanwhile, drier weather will be in place across the Midwest.

Here's the extended snowfall potential as we approach mid January. Areas of heavy snowfall will be possible across the northern tier of the nation, including the Great Lakes Region. There will also be ongoing areas of heavy snow in the high elevations in the Western US.

"According to a 2009 study, U.S. adults look at weather forecasts nearly 300 billion times a year. Reliable forecasts can predict hazardous weather―such as blizzards, hurricanes, and flash floods―as early as 9–10 days before the event. Estimates value these forecasts at $31.5 billion per year. Although weather prediction keeps improving year to year for shorter-term forecasts, forecast skill decreases in the 2-week to 2-month time frame. These longer-timescale forecasts can play a critical role for many sectors, including water conservation, energy demand, and disaster preparedness. In a new study, Weyn et al. set out to improve this subseasonal to seasonal forecasting, as it is known, using a novel approach to weather prediction. Using a convolutional neural network, the authors developed a machine learning weather prediction system called Deep Learning Weather Prediction (DLWP). The model is trained on past weather data, which differs from standard numerical weather prediction models that create mathematical representations of physical laws. DLWP projects 2–6 weeks into the future for the entire globe."

See more from Phys.org HERE:

See more from Health Digest HERE:

"The area of the western US hit by the unusually high co-occurrence of two air pollutants because of wildfires has more than doubled in the past decade, exposing millions more people to dirty air. California and other western states have seen historic forest fires in the past five years that have claimed lives, destroyed property and forced evacuations. Now there is evidence that the human cost reaches much further than the blazes' immediate vicinity. After personally experiencing an increase in smog and smoke in recent years, Daniel Swain at the University of California, Los Angeles, and his colleagues explored the role wildfires play. Two types of air pollution – tiny particulate matter called PM2.5 and ozone – are both linked to human health concerns, but they tend to peak at different times of the year. If there is a significant level of wildfire activity, however – which in the western US can occur between July and September – it is possible to see simultaneous peaks in the two pollutants. Such a co-occurrence is thought to have a disproportionately more severe health impact than either pollutant in isolation."

See more from New Scientist HERE: