Wind Chill Advisory Issued For Thursday Morning In Northfield

NORTHFIELD, MN — Dangerously cold wind chills are due to return to Northfield on Thursday morning as an arctic air mass sweeps across Minnesota.

The National Weather Service issued a wind chill advisory for Dakota County and much of Minnesota that runs from midnight to noon Thursday. Wind chills are forecast to drop as low as 30 degrees below zero, the NWS said.

Wind chills that low "could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes," according to NWS forecasters, who are urging residents to wear appropriate clothing and use caution while outside Thursday.

Thursday's bitter cold is part of an arctic air mass that reached Minnesota on Tuesday night and is expected to linger for several days, the NWS said.

Temperatures are expected to climb into the teens on Friday, though there is a 70 percent chance of snow, with up to 2 inches possible, forecasts show.

Here's the National Weather Service's forecast for Northfield this week:

Thursday morning: Clear, with a low around -12. Wind chill values as low as -26. Winds around 5 to 15 mph.

Thursday: Sunny and cold, with a high near 1. Wind chill values as low as -30. Winds around 5 mph.

Thursday night: Clear, with a low around -13. Wind chill values as low as -25. Calm winds around 5 mph.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 15. South winds around 10 to 15 mph.

Friday night: 60 percent chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a temperature rising to around 16 by 2 a.m. Winds will be 10-15 mph. New snow accumulation of one inch is possible.

Saturday: Partly sunny, with a temperature falling to around 9 degrees by 5 p.m. Winds will be around 10-15 mph.