Bundle up, Minnesota. The longest cold snap in nearly six years is on the way, and the mercury might not rise above zero from Saturday night until Tuesday afternoon. An arctic air mass that originated in Siberia will send temperatures tumbling from the balmy 30s Friday morning to well below zero for the weekend,

There is a smorgasbord of winter weather headlines across Minnesota as a cold front ushers in snow, powerful winds and very cold air that will stick around through the weekend into early next week. As of 2:30 p.

The National Weather Service forcasted wind chills as low as -24 degrees on Saturday and even lower for Saturday night in Willmar. The frigid was forecasted to last through Tuesday.

Catholic Charities’ St Paul Opportunity Center will be open for extended hours on Sunday and Monday until 9 p.m. to give those in need a place to stay out of the cold until the county can transport them to warming spaces, Finklea said. Those needing shelter should connect with the county or call 211.

The National Weather Service has issued an advisory for northwestern Minnesota and eastern North Dakota. It will be in effect from 9:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. on Friday. Snow is expected in that part of the state. Total snow accumulations up to one inch.

The latest from the National Weather Service is calling for up to six inches of snow in central Minnesota as a clipper system moves across the state Saturday night into Sunday morning.

An extreme cold watch is issued when there is a possibility of the air temp or wind chill dropping to -35 or -40. To meet the threshold of an extreme cold warning, there has to be a likelihood that the air temp or wind chill will reach -35 in the Twin Cities, or -40 in northern Minnesota.

Additionally, a winter weather advisory is set for dozens of counties in eastern North Dakota and northern Minnesota.

The Siberian airmass, which is being spun southward by a stretching polar vortex, will keep temps 15 to 30 degrees below normal Friday night through Tuesday, perhaps stretching a bit later into next week. In the Twin Cities, the high temps Sunday and Monday might not reach zero.

A winter weather advisory and high wind warning remain in effect for the Fargo area through the evening of Friday, Jan. 17, to be followed by dangerous cold for the weekend.

According to the European model, there's a chance that the air temperature at MSP could hit -20°F for the first time since 2019.

The NWS has issued warnings this weekend after a powerful polar vortex plunged temperatures nationwide during the week.