As bitter cold settles in, Twin Cities charities open up warming spaces

The welcome mat is out at several Twin Cities charities for anybody who needs shelter as the largest snowstorm of the winter season arrives this weekend and with it a cold snap that will hang around well into next week.

Blizzard warnings covered eight counties in southwestern Minnesota on Friday morning. Winter storm warnings were in place across southeastern Minnesota where 4 to 7 inches of snow was expected to fall by Saturday morning. School across the area was canceled Friday.

Two to 4 inches of snow was predicted in an area stretching from Redwood Falls and Mankato through the Twin Cities and north and east to Duluth and Hayward, Wis., where the National Weather Service issued a Winter Weather Advisory.

Dry air mixing with the precipitation may keep overall snow totals down, but brutal cold coming with the storm is a near certainty. A windchill warning for readings dipping to near minus 40 degrees was in effect through noon Monday from St. Cloud west to Morris and from Willmar north to Staples.

"We don't generally miss that part of the storm," said Pete Boulay with the Minnesota State Climatology Office, referring to the dangerously low windchill readings accompanying subzero temperatures.

Arctic air pushing in from the north will keep the mercury below zero in the Twin Cities and most of Minnesota for more than 60 consecutive hours starting Saturday night, the National Weather Service said. Temperatures might break into positive territory briefly Tuesday afternoon before sinking back, the Weather Service said.

"The coldest windchills will occur Sunday and Monday mornings" when it will feel as cold as 30 to 40 below, the Weather Service said.

Frostbite can set in after as few as 10 minutes in those conditions, the Weather Service warned.

For those living on the streets, cardboard boxes, blankets and other makeshift shelters are no match for the dangerous conditions, said Pam Stegora Axberg, CEO of Union Gospel Mission Twin Cities (UGMTC) in St. Paul.

"Please come out of your cars, tents or wherever you might be staying," she said. "We welcome all."

UGMTC has opened a warming center from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily at 435 E. University Avenue. Axberg said the charity already serves about 300 people a night during the winter months, but spent Friday setting up extra cots and yoga mats to take an expected influx of people without a place to go. During the day, UGMTC provides food, warm showers and a center where people can play games and socialize.

"It's a bit crowded right now," Axberg said. "We try to turn nobody away so they can stay safe and warm."

The Salvation Army will open its seven service centers in the metro area as warming centers Tuesday through Friday. It also is adding 40 extra overnight beds available during January and February at its downtown Minneapolis Harbor Light Center as part of an agreement with Hennepin County.

Catholic Charities' Dorothy Day Place in St. Paul is also offering hot meals — gumbo was on the menu Friday — showers, and a refuge for relief from the freezing temperatures, said spokeswoman Therese Gales. It's also extending hours at its daytime shelter to 9 p.m. It has arranged for shuttle buses to take those who can't secure a bed at Dorothy Day to overnight centers operated by Ramsey County.

"It is life or death," said Tatyana Finklea, director of Adult Emergency Services for Catholic Charities, noting the organization serves up to 500 people a day. "They can lose their life if they have no place to go."

Hennepin County lists libraries and the Government Center in downtown Minneapolis as official warming spaces. Ramsey County lists the Phalen Activity Center and the Newell Park building as warming spaces.

A slight reprieve from the deep freeze could come on Wednesday when the high is forecast to reach 14 degrees. But the long-range forecast from the Climate Prediction Center hints the cold air might stay around through Jan. 25, with a 33% to 40% chance of below-normal temperatures for the next two weeks.

The average high for the third week of January is 15 degrees and average lows are in the single digits, according to the Minnesota Climatology Office.