ST. LOUIS — The snow is basically done in our area now, but it has left quite a mark on the region, despite not much falling. For those of you who were somehow able to measure this snow, we got about 2 inches throughout the area. There are much higher drifts and the snow will probably blow around all weekend.
Wind gusts have peaked in the mid 40s so far today. Unfortunately, some of these numbers have just reached their highest today. This will be the main thing for us moving forward overnight as this makes the snow blow around and keeps the wind chills extremely cold.
Wind chills area in the -20 to -25 below range throughout the area and these numbers will continue to fall overnight.
Frostbite potential is high tonight as temperatures fall below 0 and wind gusts remain near 40 mph. Exposed skin has the possibility of frostbite in under 10 minutes! A Wind Chill Warning remains in effect through noon Friday, with a Wind Chill Advisory through noon Saturday.
The frigid air is here for the holidays. By looking at the seven-day forecast, Friday and Saturday will be bitterly cold with dangerously low wind chill readings.
Combined with the extreme temperatures, these high wind gusts have the capability to push wind chills lower than 30 below zero. Significantly cold air and dangerous to be outside.
Because of the combination of all three things, Thursday, Friday and Saturday will be Alert Days. Wind gusts plus extreme temperature shifts will create the potential for frostbite within minutes.
The Weather First team wants you to prepared for significant cold air. A number of impacts will be felt as a result of the 60-hour period with temperatures going below freezing to below zero.
To watch 5 On Your Side broadcasts or reports 24/7, 5 On Your Side is always streaming on 5+. Download for free on Roku or Amazon Fire TV.