Sure, it's cold out there right now, but according to Climate Central, there's less extreme cold than there used to be back in the 1970s. In fact, we've seen a +12.1F average increase in the lowest temperature record in the Twin Cities.

The coldest air of the season continues over the next several days with high temperatures running well below average. Note that highs may not even get above 0F across parts of the state with wind chill values dipping well into the subzero range. Note is some of the coldest air that we've had to deal with in nearly 2 years. Prior to Sunday's subzero high of -3F, the last time we had high temps colder than 0F in the Twin Cities was January of 2019.

Here's the extended weather outlook for Minneapolis through the week and weekend ahead. Note that temperatures will stay VERY chilly with readings running nearly -20F to -25F below average. This will be the longest and coldest stretch of winter. It does appear that there will be some improvement as into the 2nd half of the month. There doesn't appear to be much in the way of snow chances either. Thanks to the extreme cold, the storm track has been pushed to our south.

Here's the weather outlook for Minneapolis on Tuesday. It'll be another cold day with highs only warming into the single digits through the afternoon. Westerly winds at 5-10mph will keep wind chill values in the subzero range all day.

The meteograms the Minneapolis show bright, icy cold sunshine in place through the day Tuesday. Actual air temperature will warm above 0F, but westerly winds at 5-10mph through the day will keep wind chill values in the subzero range all day long. BRR!

Here's the weather outlook across the region for Tuesday, which shows temperatures running well below average. In fact, many locations will be nearly -20F to -25F below normal with some folks across northern MN staying below zero.

Here's the ECMWF & GFS extended temperature outlook for Minneapolis through the 3rd week of February. Note that temperature readings will still be running well below average through much of that time. The GFS is a little more aggressive with the cold (which I don't believe), while the ECMWF is more believable. Regardless, both models suggest the worst of the deep freeze will be over into the 3rd week of the month. Stay tuned...

Here's the weather outlook from midday Tuesday to Midday Thursday, which shows fairly quiet weather close to home. Thanks to the extreme cold, the storm track has been pushed farther south, keeping most of the shovelable snow potential south of us until the foreseeable future.

According to the ECMWF, there's a change of snowfall on Thursday across the far southern part of the state with some 2" to 4" tallies possible. If the cold air plunges farther south, the storm track will push a little farther south as well. Stay tuned.

According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, much of the nation will be dealing with below average temperatures, especially the center of the country.

Old Man Winter is giving us another reason to quarantine. Upsides: when it's this cold the crime rate goes down and your garbage doesn't stink.

Praedictix meteorologist Daniel Kayser has crunched some numbers: if we go another week without hitting at daytime high of 10F at MSP it would be 9 days, tying for the 11th longest stretch on record. And if we enjoy 10 subzero nights by next Monday at MSP it'll be the 33rd longest such stretch, and the first 10-night run below zero since the Winter of 2013-14.

It still gets cold (no kidding) but according to Climate Central the lowest temperature each winter at MSP has warmed 12.1F since 1970. Not helping Paul, but thanks.

It's too cold for (big) storms, but a disturbance may brush the southern half of Minnesota with a few inches of fluff Thursday. Daytime highs may hold below zero this weekend before slight moderation (teens and 20s) next week. No rapid or prolonged thaw is brewing yet.

My take: this is atmospheric-payback for mild weather into January.

TUESDAY: Feels like -20F again. Bright sunshine. Winds: W 8-13. High: 8.

TUESDAY NIGHT: Clear and cold. Winds: WSW 5. Low: -7.

WEDNESDAY: Mix of clouds and sun. Happily numb. Winds: NW 5-10. High: 9.

THURSDAY: Few inches of powdery snow? Winds: NE 7-12. Wake-up: -6. High: 1.

FRIDAY: Blue sky. Positively polar. Winds: NW 8-13. Wake-up: -5. High: 4.

SATURDAY: Patchy clouds. Feels like -30F. Winds: NW 10-20. Wake-up: -14 High: -2.

SUNDAY: Siberian daydreams. Frozen sunlight. Winds: SW 7-12. Wake-up: -18. High: -1.

MONDAY: Clouds increase. Winds: S 8-13. Wake-up: -14. High: 6.

February 9th

1899: The mercury plummets to -59 at Leech Lake Dam.

February 9th

Average High: 27F (Record: 52F set in 1966)

Average Low: 11F (Record: -33F set in 1899)

Record Rainfall: 0.92" set in 1965

Record Snowfall: 8.0" set in 1939

February 9th

Sunrise: 7:22am

Sunset: 5:33pm

Hours of Daylight: ~10 hours & 11 minutes

Daylight GAINED since yesterday: ~ 2 minutes & 48 seconds

Daylight GAINED since Winter Solstice (December 21st): ~ 1 hour & 25 minutes

1.5 Days Before Last Quarter

"Tonight, find the gorgeous Double Cluster in the constellation Perseus. It's a wonderful sight to see, assuming your sky is dark. To see it at this time of year, face north to northwest as darkness falls. The Double Cluster consists of two open star clusters, known as H and Chi Persei (also called NGC 884 and 869). How to find them? First, you really do need that dark sky. Second, you might need binoculars, as the Double Cluster is only faintly visible to the unaided eye, even on an inky black night. Look for the famous constellation Cassiopeia the Queen in the northwest, forming a backwards "3," or perhaps an "E," or the letter "M" or "W" turned on its side. Just above Cassiopeia, assuming your sky is dark enough, you'll see a faint fuzzy patch. This is the Double Cluster, which blooms into a sparkling array of stars through binoculars or a small backyard telescope."

See more from Earth Sky HERE:

Here's a look at weather conditions across the nation on Tuesday, which shows temps running well below average across the central part of the nation. Note that readings in Billings, MT will be nearly -45F below average, where record cold high temperatures will be possible. Meanwhile, folks across the southern tier of the nation will be running above average.

The weather map on Tuesday shows areas of wintry precipitation will be found from the midsection of the nation to the Northeast. Heavier snow and ice maybe possible along this line, which could cause some traveling issues.

Here's the weather outlook through Thursday which shows a couple of round of wintry precipitation developing the eastern half of the nation on the edge of the Arctic air located in the Midwest and Great Lakes region. Meanwhile, areas of heavier precipitation will be found across the Southern US along with a few thunderstorms.

The precipitation potential over the next 7 days shows heavier precipitation in the Southeastern US with 1" to 3" rainfall tallies possible through the rest of the week. Meanwhile, areas of heavier precipitation, including heavy snow in the Western Mountains will be possible.

The extended ECMWF snowfall forecast shows heavy snow continuing in the high elevations in the Western US, while a couple of round of heavy snowfall will be possible across parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast US.

"Elon Musk became the richest person in the world by dramatically improving electric vehicles, pushing forward a technology that reduces carbon-dioxide emissions and slows global warming. Now he's putting US$100 million of that fortune into prizes for technologies to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere itself. The carbon-removal contest will be administered by the Xprize Foundation, a nonprofit group that's held competitions to spur technology development to improve space travel, food and health. The new prize, the largest of its kind, will be backed by a donation from the Musk Foundation, a nonprofit founded by the chief executive officer of Tesla Inc. and Space Exploration Technologies Corp. "Carbon negativity, not neutrality," Musk said in a statement. "This is not a theoretical competition… Whatever it takes. Time is of the essence." Details of the US$100 million prize for innovators who aid the development of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies were released on Monday, following an initial announcement by Musk on Twitter on Jan. 21. Entries for the prize will open on Earth Day, celebrated on April 22. Three winners will be named for three separate prizes — $50 million, $20 million and $10 million — on the same day in 2025."

See more from Financial Post HERE:

Almost 3,000 operational spacecraft orbit our Earth. This number is growing constantly, thanks to cheaper materials and smaller satellites.

Having this many satellites in orbit can create problems, including space junk and the way they change our view of the night sky. But satellites provide a vital service. Many people are familiar with GPS, which helps us navigate. Some may know satellites provide crucial data for our weather forecasts. But satellites affect our lives in many different ways – and some of these may surprise you. 1. Spending money Whether you pay for your morning coffee using a contactless payment, Google Pay, or even with cash withdrawn from an ATM, none of it would be possible without satellites. In fact, all financial transactions – from multimillion pound stock market transactions, to your monthly Netflix subscription – rely on satellite location and timing services for security. Global navigation satellite systems orbit about 20,000km above the surface of the Earth and continually communicate with phones and computers to tell them precisely where they are and what time it is. GPS, a US system, is the most well-known of these but Europe's Galileo and the Russian GLONASS systems provide similar services.

See more from The Conversation HERE:

"Experts on Monday scrambled to understand the reasons for the avalanche and floods that have wreaked havoc in the upper reaches of the Himalayas. Global warming or maybe a Western disturbance bringing fresh snow that melted could have triggered the inundation in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, experts said on Monday as they scrambled to understand the reasons for the avalanche and floods that wreaked havoc in the upper reaches of the Himalayas. Recalling the horrors of the 2013 deluge in the hill state in which thousands were killed, a part of the Nanda Devi glacier broke off at Joshimath on Sunday, leading to a massive flood in the Alaknanda river system. Till late afternoon Monday, 18 bodies had been recovered and 202 were missing. The Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE) of the Defence Research and Development Organisation is investigating the exact reason for the flooding but there are no clear answers yet for a glacier to have melted in the winter."

See more from the News Minute HERE: