Bundle up: Coldest air yet this season to plunge Midwest into deep freeze

DES MOINES – An invasion of Arctic air will plunge temperatures to their lowest levels since last winter, and may set the stage for the biggest lake-effect snow event so far this season in the Midwest.

This week’s deep freeze can come as a shock to Midwestern residents who have not experienced an extreme cold snap since Nov. 10-13. During this stretch, single-digit lows were recorded in Minneapolis.

The cold push will prove to be more intense, longer-lasting and even dangerous for people and animals who are outside for long periods of time.

The cold will come rocketing southward out of Canada as a swath of snow spreads from west to east across the Northern tier states into Monday night.

“Very cold Arctic air will plunge southward into the northern and central Plains through Monday and into the Great Lakes and Midwest Monday and Tuesday,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Jack Boston said.

Boston expects some locations from the eastern Dakotas to Minnesota and northern Wisconsin to remain below zero degrees for a period of 24-48 hours from Monday night into Wednesday night.

To make matters worse, the combination of the frigid air, wind and other factors will result in AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures 10-30 degrees below zero across the northern Plains and Upper Midwest on Tuesday and Wednesday.

People spending any length of time outdoors will need to make sure they are properly dressed for such frigid conditions.

Knowing how to spot cold-weather dangers, such as frostbite and hypothermia, is critical when spending time outdoors in these sorts of punishing cold snaps.

Experts also urge pet owners to ensure that pets are not kept outside too long and outdoor animals have proper shelter and warmth during this extended period of extreme cold.

The air will lose a bit of its sting as it surges farther south and east through midweek, but it may be every bit as shocking for people across the Ohio Valley and Northeast to step outside following a mild beginning to the week.

“By Wednesday, actual high temperatures are forecast to range from the subzero and single digits in northern Minnesota to the upper 30s in the lower Ohio Valley,” Sosnowski said.