Low temperatures increase the risk of freezing in the northern U.S.

Low temperatures increase the risk of freezing in the northern U.S.

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Temperatures across the midwest, plains and west mountain range from 20 to 40 degrees below normal for the next five to seven days. Factor gusts of 20 to 30 mph, and there will be life-threatening chills up to 50 degrees below zero.

“Cold wind down to -50 degrees can cause exposed skin burns in just 10 minutes,” said the National Weather Service Office in Bismarck, North Dakota. “Frostbite and hypothermia are likely if proper precautions are not taken outdoors.”

More than 25 million people are under warnings and warnings against the thermal sensation from Montana to Michigan.

When there is no wind, the bodies radiate heat, creating a protective heat layer against cold weather. However, when it is windy, this moving air breaks this insulating heat layer, which accelerates heat loss and allows hypothermia to set in more quickly.

NWS’s Bismarck office said, “a prolonged period of life-threatening chills is expected” this weekend and will potentially last for much of the next week.

Stack the blankets

The cooler air will start blowing in the upper midwest on Saturday. At least half a dozen states will see sub-zero temperatures on Saturday morning. Even high temperatures are expected to be 25 to 30 degrees below normal in Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois and Dakotas.

From there, cold air will spread to the south and east.

“Another cold reinforcement front will move through the region on Sunday morning,” said the National Weather Service Office in Cleveland. “Temperatures will be the coldest so far this season this weekend until the beginning of next week, with below average temperatures persisting over the next week.”

More than 43 million people in the contiguous United States are forecasting sub-zero temperatures in the next seven days.

From Sunday to Thursday, Cleveland, Indianapolis and Detroit will see high temperatures of 15 to 20 degrees below normal, keeping them below zero for almost an entire week.

Starting this weekend, Chicago, Kansas City, Missouri and Des Moines, Iowa, will have temperatures of 20 to 30 degrees below normal, keeping them mostly below the 20 degree mark.

It is not just the Midwest that will experience this deep freeze. Southern states like Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi will also be 15 to 30 degrees below normal on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

See how fast the temperature will drop where you are

‘It can’t be too cold to snow’

“While it can be too hot to snow, it can’t be too cold to snow,” according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center website. “Snow can occur even at incredibly low temperatures, as long as there is some source of moisture and some way to raise or cool the air. It is true, however, that most snowfalls occur when there is relatively hot air close to the ground – usually -9 degrees C (15 degrees F) or warmer – as warmer air can retain more water vapor. “

Despite the intense cold, there is also the possibility of snow showers in parts of Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska, where they will probably occur 5 to 10 centimeters by Sunday.

A low pressure system that will develop on the Carolinas coast will slide to the East Coast on Sunday. The system’s proximity to the New England coast will determine whether many cities in the northeast will receive rain or snow.

“The system will intensify as it tracks the east coast and has the potential to bring another significant round of snow to the middle of the Atlantic and parts of the northeast,” said Dave Hennen, a CNN meteorologist. “Currently, there is a lot of uncertainty about where / who will get more snow and whether the main metropolitan areas in the Northeast will be affected.”

CNN’s Haley Brink contributed to this report.

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