The arctic cold air that has blasted the lakes area with brutal temperatures and wind chills since Monday night should leave by Friday.

Temperatures are expected to reach the single digits above zero Friday, the mid-teens Saturday and even the upper 20s Sunday, according to the National Weather Service (NWS) in Duluth.

"We'll be back up to normal finally on Saturday," said Steve Gohde, observing program leader with the NWS. "We'll get a brief little warming trend at the end of the week here and beginning of the next work week."

Temperatures overnight Monday into Tuesday this week reached 36 below zero in Pine River, 29 below zero in Brainerd and 26 below zero in Crosslake, prompting late starts at area schools, including Pequot Lakes, Crosslake, Emily and Pine River-Backus.

Students may have had another reprieve. Gohde said the peak of the cold was to occur overnight Wednesday into Thursday.

"We're expecting in the minus 25 to minus 35 range; that's without winds," Gohde said. "That's going to generate wind chills Thursday morning in the minus 30 to minus 50 range."

When temperatures are that cold, even a 5 mph wind can take a 30-degree below zero temperature to a 40 or 50 below zero wind chill, he said.

Gohde noted there will be a 60-degree difference between Thursday morning and Sunday afternoon temperatures.

The high temperature Thursday is expected to be 10 below zero, with nighttime temperatures dropping to 20 below zero.

"With the severity of these outbreaks, it's important to look after belongings, pets, neighbors and take precautions if you go out traveling," Gohde said.

"People who are Minnesotans understand that, but when it's prolonged like this, it can cause problems. It's not something to take lightly," he said.

A snapped guy wire on a Pequot Lakes power pole was the likely cause of a power outage that left 2,600 customers in the cold for a couple of hours Tuesday morning, Jan. 13, when temperatures reached 20 below zero.

Nisswa, Lake Shore residents lose power as cold temps arrive

The outage began at 4:10 a.m. and affected mainly the residents of Nisswa and Lake Shore, although some residents of Pine River and Pequot Lakes also lost power.

Minnesota Power spokesperson Amy Rutledge said about 2,500 of the 2,600 who lost power were back online by 6:02 a.m. Everyone had their power back by 10:03 a.m.

Rutledge said the extreme cold was the most likely cause of the break.