States Bracing for Brutal Arctic Blast with -40 Wind Chills, Map Shows
Wind chill levels of -40 degrees Fahrenheit or lower are predicted to be experienced in all three states of Minnesota, Montana, and North Dakota throughout the course of the weekend. Both states are ready themselves for potentially hazardously cold weather.
Conditions of extreme cold pose significant dangers to both one’s health and one’s safety. When temperatures drop below freezing, persons who are homeless and those who are outside are especially susceptible to conditions such as hypothermia and frostbite.
Over the course of the weekend, it is anticipated that an arctic blast will sweep through a number of states, bringing about temperatures that are especially cold in the states that are located in the northern plains region.
The National Weather Service (NWS) predicts that the blast will produce “the coldest air of the season so far,” adding that it will be the coldest air of the season.
For the period of Saturday through Tuesday, the National Weather Service has issued extreme cold advisories for certain areas of Montana, North Dakota, and Minnesota.
At the same time, it is anticipated that many regions will see strong winds with gusts of up to fifty miles per hour. As a result of the wind chill factor, temperatures will feel significantly colder than they really are.
Beginning this Saturday, it is anticipated that certain regions of North Dakota could have wind chills of up to 55 degrees below zero, which is considered to be extremely dangerous. Additionally, certain regions of Minnesota may suffer wind chills of up to 44 degrees below zero beginning this same day.
Wind chills of up to forty degrees below zero are expected to be experienced in certain regions of Montana from Sunday night until Monday morning.
The following map illustrates the three states that the National Weather Service (NWS) forecasts will experience wind chill temperatures of at least forty degrees below zero during the course of the weekend:
According to the NWS severe cold warning for North Dakota, “the dangerously cold wind chills as low as 55 below zero could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 5 minutes.”
From Friday evening through Saturday, cold weather advisories were issued for North Dakota and Minnesota in addition to the severe cold warnings. It is anticipated that wind chill temperatures may drop as low as -39 degrees in North Dakota and -35 degrees in Minnesota.
In a late-December article, Paul Pastelok, AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Expert, wrote: “This could end up being the coldest January since 2011 for the U.S. as a whole… The key here is that the Arctic outbreak will involve many days and not just be a quick one-to-three-day event.”
The NWS website’s “Understanding Wind Chill” page states: “Wind chill is based on the rate of heat loss from exposed skin caused by wind and cold. As the wind increases, it draws heat from the body, driving down skin temperature and eventually the internal body temperature. Therefore, the wind makes it FEEL much colder. If the temperature is 0°F and the wind is blowing at 15 mph, the wind chill is -19°F. At this wind chill temperature, exposed skin can freeze in 30 minutes.”
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The wind chill is -19°F if the temperature is 0°F and the wind speed is 15 mph. It can take 30 minutes for exposed skin to freeze at this wind chill temperature.
By early next week, the arctic blast that hit the northern plains region is predicted to spread south and impact many more states. Extreme cold watches are in place for states including Ohio, West Virginia, and Virginia, while cold weather advisories have been issued for Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Iowa.