Special Weather Statement For North Dakota From NWS

North Dakota will see the coldest weather of the season beginning Friday evening.

A wind chill warning has been issued for the majority of North Dakota including all of southcentral North Dakota and the Capital Region.  You can expect wind chills around 35 below zero.  The wind chill warning goes into effect at 6 pm tonight and will last until noon on Monday, December 15th.  You can expect wind chills as low as 55 below during the wind chill warning.  Frostbite can occur on exposed skin in as little as 5 minutes at those temperatures.

A special weather statement has been issued by the National Weather Service in Bismarck.

Increasing northwest winds combined with fresh snow accumulation could lead to widespread blowing snow across much of central North Dakota Friday evening through Saturday.  About an inch of snowfall is expected.

Significant visibility reductions are possible with near-whiteout conditions in rural areas.

With dangerously cold wind chills expected during the blowing snow, stranded travelers could be in a life-threatening situation.  If you must travel, carry a winter survival kit, keep your gas tank full, carry a cellphone charger with you, and be sure to let others know of your travel plans.

Overnight lows are expected to dip between 15 to 20 below zero Friday night through the weekend.  High temperatures will stay sub-zero with a high of 4 below zero today and high temperatures for the weekend closer to minus 10.

When will we finally break out of the deep freeze?

You can expect a gradual warm-up next week with temperatures moderating to single-digit highs in the teens by late next week.  No significant snowfalls are expected in the next seven-day period.