GRAND FORKS, N.D. - Parts of northern Minnesota dropped into the 30s below zero Sunday morning, as a blast of arctic air brought the lowest temperatures of the season so far.
But after temperatures in most of the region failed to climb above zero on Sunday, a big warmup is on the way this week: Southwest winds are forecast to help readings climb to near 20 today and perhaps into the 30s on Tuesday. The lowest temperature report relayed by the National Weather Service in Duluth on Sunday morning was 38 below zero at Embarrass.
In northwest Minnesota, it wasn't much better. Park Rapids and Staples had the lowest in that region with a low of 29 below.
Fargo had 20 below overnight, while Moorhead and Grand Forks, both came in at 24 below at its coldest point.
Brad Hopkins of the National Weather Service said Bagley in far northwest Minnesota took the honors for wind chill at 55 below. He said Lake Park near Detroit Lakes wasn't far behind at 50 below.
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Wind chills reported farther east Sunday included 45 below zero at Grand Rapids, and 41 below zero at the Duluth airport, Ely, the Grand Marais airport and Bigfork.
As for other temperature in Minnesota, the Duluth harbor hit 18 below zero on Sunday morning and the Duluth airport dropped to 21 below - cold, but not a record for the date (that remains 32 below zero, set in 1884). The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport reported a Sunday-morning low of 20 below zero.
Hopkins said the cold air moved has headed south, noting that a town north of Houston was below freezing Sunday night and a couple more nights of similar temps were expected in Texas over the next few nights.
The warmup in the forecast for this week may be accompanied by a couple rounds of light snow, the Weather Service reported - from tonight into Tuesday, and again on Wednesday.
The early forecast for the upcoming Christmas weekend - subject to change - calls for partly to mostly sunny skies and highs in the teens above zero.
The Duluth News Tribune contributed to this report
