After this weekend's near-record cold, Grand Forks and the surrounding region will begin to heat up early this week.
The Grand Forks International Airport reported a low of minus 24 early Sunday morning, with a wind chill of minus 43, according to the National Weather Service.
Temperatures throughout northeast North Dakota and northwest Minnesota ranged between minus 20 and minus 29, with Park Rapids, Minn., and Staples, Minn., both seeing the lowest temperatures of minus 29. Bagley, Minn., saw the lowest wind chill in the area at minus 55.
Average high temperatures for Grand Forks in mid-December typically are in the low 20s, with lows sitting in the low single digits, said Amanda Lee, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Grand Forks.
"It's not like this is unprecedented or anything," Lee said. "It definitely happens once in a while up here. We just had the right conditions and clear skies."
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Without the wind picking up last night, Grand Forks and the surrounding region may have set records for record cold temperatures, Lee said.
"We were thinking we might have ended up breaking some records last night, but the winds were up so high that the temperatures didn't drop enough," Lee said. "But when you factor in the winds, that's going to impact your wind chill. So it's sort of a catch-22 with lower temperatures or higher winds."
A big shot of cold air took over most of the country this weekend, with many areas across the United States seeing below average temperatures.
Temperatures, however, will warm up at the start of the workweek in the Red River Valley, with highs in the upper 20s and low 30s throughout the week.
The warming won't last long, though. Forecasts are calling for temperatures to fall for the holiday weekend with highs dropping to the single digits.
