The first arctic blast of the season is set to batter the northern Plains on Thanksgiving, dropping temperatures to 40 degrees below zero across six states.
“The first significant Arctic outbreak of the season will arrive in the northern Plains on Thanksgiving,” the National Weather Service Prediction Center warned on Tuesday.
“The cold will advance farther south and east through much of the Plain and Midwest on Friday and persist into this weekend.”
“Temperatures are likely to be the coldest since mid-late February in the northern Plains and Midwest, providing an abrupt change from the record, or near-record, warm autumn so far.”
Wind chills as low as minus 20 degrees are forecast across much of North Dakota, northeast South Dakota, western Minnesota, Northeast Montana, central Colorado, and western Wyoming.
Temperatures are expected to dip below zero across Michigan, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, and Missouri.
“This will pose an increased risk of hypothermia, and frostbite on exposed skin,” the NWS warned.
“Have a winter survival kit if you must travel.”
