Arctic air is back.
A wind chill advisory remains in effect until 9 a.m. today. Temperatures of 15 below to 25 below across northeastern Minnesota overnight may be combining with a 20 mph northwest wind to make for a dangerously cold morning today. In Cass and Crow Wing counties, the wind chill values may drop to 30 degrees below with an overnight air temperature of 5 degrees to 15 degrees below.
Dangerous wind chills of 25 below to 35 below zero are anticipated this morning, the National Weather Service in Duluth reported. The wind chill advisory means "very cold air and strong winds will combine to generate low wind chills," the weather service reported. Frostbite may occur on exposed flesh within 20 minutes and hypothermia is possible if precautions are not taken.
"If you must venture outdoors," the weather service reported, "make sure you wear a hat and gloves."
Early Wednesday night, the wind chill was already at 10 degrees below.
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Travelers may want to note conditions will be tougher for Wisconsin as the cold wind - blowing at 15-25 mph - combines for lake effect snow across Ashland and Iron counties with the potential to add 3 inches to 6 inches to the snowbelt.
"A period of very cold temperatures and hazardous wind chills is expected Friday night through Sunday morning," the weather service reported. Saturday may drop to 15 below overnight. While this last bite of winter comes just as bare ground was making the possibility of an early spring seem at least plausible, it isn't as cold as it could be. The record low in early February was set in 1996 with an air temperature of an eye-popping 52 degrees below.
The normal high this time of year is 25 degrees with a normal low of 1 below zero. The lowest record for a maximum snow depth was set at 1 inch in 2002. This winter set a number of records for the lowest amount of snow on the ground and for a general lack of snowfall. On a normal year, about 7 inches of snow falls in February. The weather service lists Brainerd with a current depth of 3 inches following Tuesday's snowfall. On the other side of the coin, a record 30 inches of snow was on the ground at this time of year in 1918.
