An Extreme Cold Warning has been issued by the National Weather Service for all of Wisconsin and most of Minnesota, Upper Michigan and North Dakota as well as portions of surrounding states as a major outbreak of polar air smothers the upper Midwest. Sheboygan County will be under the warning from midnight Thursday night until 1 PM on Friday, and a watch that could extend the warning is in effect from Friday afternoon through Saturday morning.
Concern centers on wind chill factors that will likely approach or breach 40 degrees below zero on Friday morning, and ease no better than near 30 below for the remainder of Friday through Saturday morning. Actual temperatures are expected to sink below zero by 3 AM Friday and remain there until midday Saturday while reaching low temperatures between 10 and 15 below. Wind chills are likely to remain below zero continually from Thursday morning until next week Tuesday.
NWS Graphic
Compared to the cold, snowfall will be only a minor concern throughout with only trace amounts expected throughout, although blowing and drifting snow will be a consideration, especially late tonight into early Thursday morning.
The National Weather Service advises limiting time outdoors, and to only go out dressed in layers and covering exposed skin which, given wind chills of -40, could become frostbitten within 10 minutes. Travelers should keep an emergency kit of blankets, fully-charged cell phone, water and other supplies on hand, and keep the gas tank at least one-half full. Pets should be brought inside with outdoor time limited. Homes vulnerable to frozen pipes can avoid damage by running a slow drip through faucets. Furnaces should be monitored, and caution used when auxiliary heat is needed.
NWS Graphic
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