The Midwest and Northeast have been experiencing extremely cold Arctic temperatures this week. Some Midwestern cities have fallen to their lowest temperatures in more than two decades. Add in the strong winds and it’s too cold for man or beast! So how long will it last and when can you expect a warmup?
The great news is that the extreme cold temperatures will only stick around a few more days. Thanks to the retreat of the jet stream, the bitter-cold air mass will go along with it. This will provide some much-anticipated warmer air. The jet stream will head northward toward the Canadian border and temperatures should get much closer to the average by Friday.
For the Midwest, highs will climb into the 30s and 40s on Saturday. This is sure to be a sigh of relief for those sitting in subzero temperatures right now. Some areas could even see temperatures close to 50 degrees and Sunday will prove even warmer. For those in extremely cold temperatures such as Chicago which is currently in the mid-20s below zero, seeing 40 degrees temperatures by Sunday will be a whole 60 degree warm up!
Minneapolis could see temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees on Thursday morning, but highs will rise to the upper 30s by the weekend. That is a 70-degree warm-up that I’m sure folks in those areas will be rejoicing for!
For early next week, below-average temperatures could return to the northern Plains and upper Midwest. Fortunately, for most areas, it shouldn’t be nearly as cold as it is this week.
Parts of the upper Midwest may be 60-plus degrees warmer this weekend than at the peak of this week’s arctic intrusion.
For example, the forecast low in Chicago is in the mid-20s below zero Thursday morning. Sunday’s forecast high is near 40 degrees.
Minneapolis/St. Paul may touch minus 30 degrees Thursday morning. Highs by Saturday afternoon should reach the upper 30s – a near-70-degree rise in temperature in just over two days.
Below-average temperatures may return to parts of the northern Plains and upper Midwest early next week, but for most areas, it likely won’t be as harsh as the next few days.
