Icy temperatures, dangerous wind chills await commuters

Last update: January 15, 2009 - 7:15 AM

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Just going to work could be dangerous in the Twin Cities this morning.

At 5:30 a.m. temperatures in the Twin Cities were stuck at 20 below zero. But it was even colder in other parts of the state.

Moorhead was reporting temperatures of 28 below, International Falls, 26 below, Ely, Hallock and Thief River Falls, 27 below, Duluth, 23 below, Rochester, 24 below, Roseau, 20 below.

Because of the wind, today's high of 4 below will feel far colder than that. That's right, wind chill.

Some of the lowest wind chill readings overnight were in western Minnesota, where it was 52 below in Glenwood and 51 below in Benson and Granite Falls.

The cold prompted schools in nearly 200 communities statewide to close today or start late.

Wind chill values in the Twin Cities today will be as low as 42 degrees below zero. Elsewhere, especially in the west central part of the state, wind chill readings of 55 below are possible.

A wind chill warning remains in effect for much of the state -- including the Twin Cities -- until noon Friday, the National Weather Service said this morning.

The combination of very cold air and winds will cause frostbite and could lead to hypothermia or death for people who go outside unprepared, the weather service says.

The danger is expected to ease up later this afternoon as winds diminish and temperatures rise.

Tonight, temperatures will drop again -- to 20 below in the Twin Cities with wind chills values dropping to 33 below, the weather service says.

Friday temperatures will rise to a high of 9 degrees with wind chills down to 32 below. There is a chance of snow in the afternoon.

As if this morning's arctic lows weren't enough, roads will be deceptively slippery with black ice, so don't speed, and keep plenty of distance between your vehicle and the one in front of it.

But at 6:30 a.m., drivers were finding congested and slow moving traffic on some metro-area highways -- especially southbound Interstate Hwy. 35W north of Hwy. 10 and on eastbound Interstate Hwy.94 east of Interstate Hwy. 35E. Four accidents had been reported and all were blocking traffic, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

The Weather Service activated its online survey of people's responses to winter weather warnings here.

Elsewhere, winter-hardened Northeasterners were socked with the same subzero temperatures and biting winds that have turned the Northern Plains, Midwest and Great Lakes into a teeth-chattering misery for much of the week.

Maine residents braced today for readings down to 40 below zero. And in the Midwest, Iowans were warned that temperatures could drop as far as 27 below zero, matching a Jan. 15 record set in 1972.

The deep freeze was part of a snow and arctic system that stretched from Montana to northern New England and dipped as far south as North Carolina.

Forecasters issued lake-effect snow warnings Thursday for Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Wind chill warnings were posted for those states as well as Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Missouri, the Dakotas, Wisconsin and Minneapolis.

In southwest Ohio, Butler County reopened its former jail as an emergency shelter, with room for about 40 people to have a blanket, meal and shower, said Lt. Nick Fischer of the sheriff's office. Fischer said the county will make room for more if needed.

The weather service warned that temperatures could plummet to 10 to 15 below zero across northern Illinois. With winds gusts of around 30 mph, it could feel as low as 40 below.

Scores of public and private schools throughout the Chicago area announced in advance that they would be closed or have delayed starts Thursday because of the bitter cold.

As the snow ended Wednesday afternoon cancelations reduced to around 250 at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, down from more than 300 several hours earlier. Delays at O'Hare averaged up to 60 minutes. There were only a few cancelations at Midway International Airport.

A few ski areas in northern Minnesota closed for the day because of temperatures that reached 38 below zero at International Falls, with the wind chill during the night estimated at 50 below.

BILL MCAULIFFE, JOHN MCINTYRE, ASSOCIATED PRESS