'Twas the week before Christmas in North Dakota, and yet another winter system has us in the bullseye this week.

Depending on when you are traveling for the holidays an Alberta Clipper could really mess with your plans.

The potential snow event will arrive this Wednesday and only drop an inch or two of snow.  That won't really be the problem.  Like with most Alberta Clipper systems it's the wind that follows that usually causes the issues.

Winds are expected to blow 25 to 35 with gusts over 40 miles per hour.  Any sustained winds over 30 miles per hour is considered blizzard force.  And, with the fresh 20-plus inches of snow that has already fallen in the last week, we could certainly be looking at blizzard conditions for a short period sometime midweek.

This all comes after the coldest arctic air of the year will arrive early this week.  A Wind Chill Warning is in place for Monday night all the way until Saturday, December 24th at 12 noon.  Wind Chills as low as 50 below zero are possible.

Overnight lows this week are expected to be in the teens to twenties below zero with highs in the single digits below zero to teens below zero.  Again, this is the coldest air of the year so far.

So, get ready for an extended cold snap that will last for over a week.  This will set us up for one of the coldest Christmas holidays in recent years.

There is light at the end of the tunnel, however.  We are expected to climb out of the deep freeze by Christmas Day.  We should see high temperatures in the mid-20s on Christmas day and temps in the 20s and even 30s as we head into the New Year's holiday.

Check Out North Dakota's 11 Biggest Redneck Towns

 

The Top 10 Mispronounced City Names in North Dakota

 

More From US 103-3