Today’s winds have been particularly strong from the northwest, with most sites experiencing gusts of more than 50 mph! Mason City recorded a gust of 54 mph, Owatonna 51 mph, and Rochester 58 mph!!! These winds are approaching or exceeding severe thunderstorm standards! Crazy!
These strong winds will persist into the evening and tonight, with gusts of up to 50 mph across the majority of the area until approximately midnight. Wind gusts continue to diminish later tonight, dropping to 30-40 mph around midnight. A wind advisory is in force for all of southeastern Minnesota and northern Iowa until midnight tonight as well.
Snow is also falling in certain areas, reducing visibility and creating slick spots on the road. If you face slick/snowy conditions on your nighttime journey, you should drive slowly!
Temperatures are also rapidly dropping throughout the area as cold air moves in from the northwest. Temperatures will continue to drop into the single digits tonight. With the heavy winds and freezing temperatures, wind chill values might drop as low as -15F by Thursday morning.
Temperatures will barely get into the mid to upper teens on Thursday, with clouds decreasing throughout the day. Lows in the single digits are forecast again Thursday night, with wind chills near zero degrees Fahrenheit.
Warmer temperatures and more sunshine are expected for Friday and the weekend! On Friday, highs will reach the mid-20s to low 30s Fahrenheit under mostly sunny skies. Mostly sunny skies continue into Saturday, with highs in the low 40s across the region! Balmy!
Sunday’s highs will be in the mid-40s Fahrenheit, with a bit more cloud cover in the afternoon as a frontal system arrives from the west. There is a tiny chance of a shower or two Sunday afternoon through Monday when this system moves through, but no significant precipitation is currently expected.
We’ll cool down by the middle of next week, with highs in the 20s and a very slight possibility of snow next Wednesday and Thursday. It will be good to have a quick warm-up after all the cold weather we’ve had!
Reference: Winds decrease into Thursday, bitterly cold until Friday, warm this weekend