Weather Alert Day: Dangerously cold temperatures late Saturday night into Sunday
The ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather Team has issued a Weather Alert Day for the potential of dangerously cold temperatures and subsequent wind chills between Saturday night and Sunday morning.
A fast moving Alberta clipper system will slide by just to our northeast on Saturday, bringing the potential for some light snow across far northeastern Missouri into Illinois and Indiana.
Some of these snow showers may clip areas from Kirksville to Mexico with light accumulation. There may also be enough moisture present under cloudy skies through early evening for some patchy freezing drizzle, although the window looks fairly short for impacts at this time.
As the clipper exits to the east, a strong arctic air mass will center over the upper Midwest over the weekend, with high pressure allowing skies to clear through Sunday morning. Even with a light breeze, air temperatures will be cold enough for wind chills to drop below zero. Morning low temperatures will range from about 3 to 10 degrees from north to south, with wind chills between -5 and -15 to start Sunday.
These forecasted wind chills have resulted in a Cold Weather Advisory being issued for some of Central Missouri this evening, lasting until noon Sunday.
Frostbite can occur after about 30 minutes of exposure in these conditions. Take care to keep pets indoors in a warm shelter, and make sure to let faucets drip on Saturday night with the cabinets open to avoid freezing pipes.
Sunday afternoon will be quite chilly despite sunshine, with highs in the upper teens.
As the winter season gets into full swing, make sure to have the free ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather App downloaded to your device to get the hourly forecast and latest alerts on closings and delays.
