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This morning Rochester, Minnesota was over halfway there and Austin, Minnesota was just 9 degrees away...from matching Antarctica's temperature. It was 31-degrees-below-zero at the South Pole. In Minnesota? 18 below in Rochester and 22 below in Austin!

ROCHESTER AUSTIN AND ANTARCTICA temp
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Is it supposed to be this cold? St Cloud State says this about Minnesota winter (to prospective students)

Winter in Minnesota is characterized by cold (below freezing) temperatures. Snow is the main form of winter precipitation, but freezing rain, ice, sleet, and occasionally rain are all possible during the winter months. Heavy snowfalls occur from November to April, averaging about 70 inches (178 cm) annually in the northeast near Duluth and 30 inches (76 cm) in the southeast. Blizzards hit Minnesota twice each winter on the average.

Credit where it's due, St Cloud State does NOT try to make it sound nicer than it is.

The good news about all this sub-zero cold is that it'll warm up this week, but to 15 above in a few days.

A new record was set Monday morning when the airport temperature dropped to -21 at 6:00 am. The previous record low was -19 degrees. Rochester...has...reached 10 days without a high of 10 degrees, the third-longest such streak on record. The longest is 15 days.

By this coming Sunday, the city may be basking in temperatures that reach the low 30s.  (KEEP READYING About Rochester Warming Up by the weekend.)

What's Antarctica really look like? I think its beautiful, all those drifts of snow. And looking at the old-school explorers, how did those clothes keep them warm?

A LOOK AT ANTARCTICA

A quick look at pictures from Antarctica, from the old days of exploration, to the current look and feel.

As always, if you have a comment, complaint, or concern about something I wrote here, please let me know: james.rabe@townsquaremedia.com

Listen to James Rabe and Jessica Williams Weekday from 6 - 10 AM on Y-105 FM

When it gets this cold, or super hot, or humid, or rains or whatever, you hear people talk about how they knew because their back was aching, or their toes were tingling. Can this really happen?

KEEP READING: Get answers to 51 of the most frequently asked weather questions...

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