How southwest U.S. weather woes are impacting Minnesota

TGIF! Here's what to know to start your weekend.

A temperature rebound to the 40s has started. Highs today will stay in the teens, but most of Minnesota will climb into the 20s by Saturday. Widespread 30s Sunday put the entire state back at or above average. By Monday, parts of southern Minnesota have a good chance of hitting the lower to mid-40s. Find the latest on Updraft.

The cold snap in the South this week has caused vaccination delays and power outages in Minnesota.

Earlier this week, parts of the Moorhead area saw rolling blackouts due to the deadly winter storm in the southwestern U.S. because the area gets electricity via the Southwest Power Pool. Rolling blackouts are likely finished since Wednesday night, but concerns over more outages linger as demand for power has increased in the central U.S. and more severe weather is expected for the same area that's been heavily affected by the winter storm already.

In the meantime, the snow storms and cold weather have caused delays in vaccine distribution, including in Minnesota. About half of the vaccines headed to the state this week, more than 45,000, were delayed. That delay has led to vaccine appointments being postponed in the state. Those vaccines, even if they are running behind schedule, will eventually get to Minnesota, state health officials say.

This deadly weather event is just the latest example showing how vulnerable our power grids are to climate change-fueled extreme weather.

It’s a stark reminder that our 20th-century power grids won’t withstand our 21st-century climate much longer. And the problem isn't "unique to Texas," says Roshi Nateghi, who studies at Purdue University how to improve our infrastructure to withstand emerging challenges. There’s no shortage, unfortunately, of natural disasters that hit our grids.” Nateghi discussed the issue and shared some ideas on how to improve grid resilience on this week's Climate Cast.

Back on the pandemic front, we have more bright news in COVID-19 numbers.

Vaccination pace aside, the closely watched numbers around the pandemic continue to look good. Known, active cases have stayed below 7,000 for three straight days this week. With 14 additional deaths reported Thursday, Minnesota COVID-19 deaths are averaging fewer than 10 per day for the first time since October.

Here are Minnesota’s latest COVID-19 statistics:

Last night, the Minnesota House failed to pass a bill to set the $35 million security funding for the Derek Chuavin trial.

The security funding measure had stalled out due to a lack of support earlier in the week, but police organizations urged lawmakers to try again. Nevertheless, the bill failed by a vote of 71-63, with seven DFLers joining all Republicans in opposition, which DFL Gov. Tim Walz called “disappointing.”

How did you sleep last night? If you've been struggling with sleep problems, we have some advice for you.

For many Americans, sleep is elusive. Even before the pandemic, more than 50 million Americans suffered from some type of sleep disorder. Now layer on a deadly virus, and all the stressors that come with it. If you have COVID-somnia, how are you combating it? At 9 a.m. today, host Kerri Miller will get some tips and advice from two sleep experts.

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— Jiwon Choi, MPR News | Find me on Twitter @ChoiGEE1