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Wind Chill Advisory Expanded and Extended into MLK Day

Brrr!! Dress warm this Sunday. It is frigid and will remain that way all day long and even into Martin Luther King Jr. Day

By: Katie McGraw

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and last updated

Brrr!! Dress warm this Sunday. It is frigid and will remain that way all day long and even into Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Air temperatures have dropped by about 20 degrees in the last 24 hours. We are starting off the day with temperatures in the single digits and low teens. The dramatic drop, coupled with lingering gusty winds, has resulted in brutally cold wind chills. Wind chills ranged from -1 to -20 this morning. And it does not look to improve very much
today. I expect wind chills to remain sub-zero for much of the area for the entire day.

Therefore, the National Weather Service has expanded the wind chill advisory and extended it as well. The advisory covers nearly every county, with the exception of our southernmost communities. It will remain in effect until Monday afternoon. The gusty winds will keep it dangerously cold all Sunday. The winds have relaxed a bit compared to Saturday but gusts over 25 mph are still occurring. The strongest winds are closer to the lake, and there is a wind advisory for Lake and northern Ashtabula counties until 4 p.m.

Be careful outside, and, of course, dress for the elements. People exposed to extreme cold are susceptible to frostbite and can even be killed by hypothermia in only minutes. Hypothermia occurs when the body loses heat faster than it can produce it. Areas most prone to frostbite are uncovered skin and the extremities, such as hands and feet. You can protect yourself by adding more and more layers the colder it gets and by covering all exposed skin, including your face.

Do not plan for a quick warm-up. Temps look to stay below freezing for the next week! We could even have another wind chill advisory issued for Tuesday night and Wednesday.