Temperatures tumble, hard freeze ahead

Enjoy today because this will likely be our last day in the 50s for quite a while! A strong cold front will bring a significant drop in temperatures over the next 24 hours, followed by our coldest stretch of weather in several weeks. Some frost will be possible late tonight into Thursday morning, but a much more widespread hard freeze is looking almost certain Thursday night into Friday morning. Temperatures will remain below normal through the weekend before gradually warming up next week. The forecast will also remain dry for the foreseeable future.

A cold front moved through late Wednesday afternoon and evening, bringing a noticeable drop in temperatures. By Thursday morning, most locations will be in the low to mid 30s. Some patchy frost will be possible, especially in sheltered and low lying areas where temperatures tend to fall a little farther. Clouds and a steady north wind will help limit the frost potential in some locations. A few sprinkles or flurries will also be possible late tonight into Thursday morning, mainly along and north of I-94. Most locations across southern Minnesota and northern Iowa will remain dry.

KEYC Weather (KEYC Weather) Thursday will be considerably colder, with afternoon highs struggling to reach the upper 30s to low 40s. The bigger story will arrive Thursday night into Friday morning as temperatures drop well into the 20s. A widespread hard freeze will be likely, with some locations potentially falling into the low 20s.

KEYC Weather (KEYC Weather) Friday will bring another chilly day, with highs generally in the upper 30s to around 40 degrees. The good news is that we’ll have plenty of sunshine, and the cold weather will be accompanied by an extended stretch of dry conditions. Saturday morning could be even colder, with lows in the low 20s in many locations. Some locations farther north could even drop into the teens. Afternoon temperatures will recover into the low 40s.

Temperatures will slowly rebound over the weekend, with highs reaching the low to mid 40s Saturday and Sunday before climbing into the upper 40s Monday. By Tuesday, some locations could return to the low 50s. Temperatures will continue to rise into next week, returning to above normal levels by midweek. There is also very little precipitation in the 7 Day Forecast, with dry weather expected to continue through at least the middle of next week.

Keep your KEYC First Alert Weather app handy for the latest forecast information and updates from our weather team. We’ll be watching the freezing temperatures closely over the next couple of mornings and will have updates on the chilly weekend ahead, along with when we can expect warmer weather to return.

This image updates in real time as conditions change.

Temperatures tumble, hard freeze ahead

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