Dangerous Cold Spreading Southward
Updated: Tuesday, January 05, 2010 2:55 PM
The heart of the next arctic air mass will sit over the Plains and Upper Midwest by Thursday. Actual temperatures Thursday afternoon will not rise above zero as far south as northern Kansas. Some communities over the northern tier will have highs --yes highs-- of more than 10 below zero!
In addition to the bitter cold, the wind will gust past 25 mph from the eastern Dakotas and Minnesota down to Missouri, creating dangerously low AccuWeather.com RealFeel temperatures.
Combining the wind and cold, it will feel more like 30 or 40 below zero over the eastern Dakotas and western Minnesota during the day Thursday! People will really need to bundle up, because it will take only a short time of exposure for frostbite to develop.
This arctic air mass will completely overwhelm most of the eastern two-thirds of the nation by the end of the week, with the potential for a damaging citrus freeze over parts of southern Texas and Florida this weekend.
People planning to travel during this time should make sure they have a winter kit in their car. It is also important to have at least a quarter of a tank of gas in your tank when you park your car for the night, as freezing could cause the car not to start in the morning.
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