‘Dangerously cold’ arctic outbreak impacts millions as wind chills to drop well below zero

The first arctic outbreak of the season is allowing temperatures to plunge across the eastern half of the country, creating “dangerously cold” wind chills of 15-30 degrees below zero in the northern Plains and Upper Midwest. 

As the Thanksgiving Day winter storm exits the Northeast, it is pulling in arctic air from Canada and allowing the cold air to travel as far away as the Southeast.

On Black Friday, well over 200 million Americans are expected to experience below-average temperatures. 

According to NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center, wind chills should fall well below zero across the northern Plains and Upper Midwest. 

Areas of the Dakotas and Minnesota will see dangerously cold temperatures that could cause hypothermia and frostbite if unprotected skin is exposed. Some areas will drop to between -30 and -40 degrees when factoring in the wind chill.

In the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest, temperatures could drop below -10°F, with wind chills making it feel even colder to around -20°F or lower. The coldest days would likely be in the Sunday-Monday timeframe.

Farther south into the Midwest, lows may fall into the teens, and wind chills could dip near -10°F. This could bring the coldest air of the season so far for many areas. 

The winds will drastically increase as a powerful arctic front powers through the region on Monday-Tuesday.

Travelers in these regions should be sure to have a winter survival kit.

The Southeast and South-Central U.S. should also prepare for chilly conditions from late November into early December. 

Some spots might see their first freeze of the season if they did not already this past cold spell.

The coldest air of the season will sweep across the Great Lakes, which are currently experiencing record-warm water temperatures. The combination will trigger a long-duration lake-effect snowstorm, starting Friday and lasting into next week.

Nearly 1.5 million are now under a Lake-Effect Snow Warning through at least Monday across parts of western New York, far northwestern Pennsylvania and northeastern Ohio as Lake Erie and Lake Ontario crank up the snow-making machine.

“This is going to be a long-fused event,” says NWS Buffalo lead forecaster Kirk Apffel. “We’re looking for Friday through at least Monday, there’s going to be snow in the area.”

The WPC said travel disruptions are likely, especially on Interstate 90 between Cleveland and Buffalo and on Interstate 81 north of Syracuse, New York.