We’re done with the extreme cold: Temps expected to moderate this weekend

BRAINERD — Arctic air, it’s time for you to go home.

On Friday, Feb. 3, the early morning temperature in Brainerd bottomed out at 26 degrees below zero while the area was gripped in a wind chill advisory, with wind chills reaching as low as 30 degrees below zero, that started a day earlier. That trend played out for most of last week and a half, with low temperatures routinely settling into double digits below zero.

“That was our big taste of real Minnesota winter with that cold,” said Josh Sandstrom, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Duluth.

It was a stretch of cold weather that has not been too common this winter, Sandstrom said. Aside from the recent weeklong cold snap, the only other similar spell was in December, he said.

“For a lot of areas, we’ve been pretty lucky so far this season as far as temperatures. The cold snaps have not been too bad,” Sandstrom said. “Other years we have cold snaps that last a week or even longer. Or we have a cold snap, then it gets warmer for a day or two, then we have another cold snap. It just hasn’t been quite as cold this year, generally speaking.”

And over the course of 24 hours, from Friday to Saturday, a snap back in the right direction should happen.

By Saturday afternoon, there could be a 50 degree temperature swing from Friday's low temp, with a high of almost 30 degrees expected in the Brainerd lakes area, the National Weather Service in Duluth reported.

That warming trend — actually elevating temperatures above the 23 degree average for this time of year — is expected to continue through the weekend and into next week, peaking at almost 40 degrees on Wednesday.

Will it last? At least for a while, Sandstrom said.

“Next week is looking pretty mild actually. We’re going to get a nice break from the cold, that’s for sure. … Even in the 8-14 day range we’re trending to above average temperatures,” Sandstrom said. “It’s kind of looking like a one and done for the extreme cold.”

Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 29 degrees. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Saturday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 18 degrees. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming northwest after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 15 mph.

Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 28 degrees. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 15 mph.

Sunday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 17 degrees. Breezy, with a light southwest wind becoming south 10 to 15 mph in the evening. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph.

Monday: A slight chance of snow after noon. Cloudy, with a high near 34 degrees. Breezy, with a south wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Monday night: A slight chance of snow before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 19 degrees. Blustery, with a south wind 10 to 15 mph becoming northwest after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 31 degrees. Blustery, with a west wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Tuesday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 17 degrees. Southwest wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 38 degrees. South wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph.

Wednesday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 23 degrees. South wind about 10 mph.

Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 36 degrees. Breezy, with a southwest wind 10 to 15 mph becoming north in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.

MATT ERICKSON, Editor, may be reached at matt.erickson@brainerddispatch.com or 218-855-5857.