The Upper Midwest and northern Plains will find themselves with a chill as they ring in the New Year and say goodbye to 2014, as some of the coldest temperatures since the big chill last year will settle over the areas.
Even though the core of this cold air will stay centered over the northern Rockies and High Plains region, the temperatures will still plunge well below zero from portions of the Dakotas and northern Minnesota during the night through the end of 2014.

If you are new to the area and plan to spend time outside to celebrate the New Year, you will want to make sure to dress warmly from head to toe if you reside in Chicago, Minneapolis, Detroit, or other areas surrounding these large cities.

Even though the temperatures may not reach zero, it will still feel like it is well below zero outside. If you are exposed to these temperatures for an extended period of time without proper attire it can lead to frostbite and hypothermia.

For most of the Upper Midwest, the cold temperatures will definitely surpass the cold from this past November, but it won’t reach just as cold as it was towards the end of 2013. But, since normal average temperatures are lower in late December and early January, the temperatures will be considered less extreme when compared to that of November.

During a small week period in November the temperatures exceeded 20 degrees below average in our areas of interest. If you plan on traveling this week, you can rest easy because there will be no storms to affect the area.

For those craving a bit of snow, there is a weak front dropping in along the Canadian border that may cause a couple of spotty snow flurries from areas of the Dakotas to Michigan, as well as Ohio on Wednesday night into New Year’s Day. Any heavy lake-effect snow will be confined to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan throughout Friday. The only way that we will see any snow or rain this weekend depends on the track and timing of a storm in the Southwest.