After a relatively mild start to winter, Missouri is bracing for a sharp shift as frigid temperatures and snow move into the region through the weekend.
A strong cold front is settling over the state, bringing dangerous wind chills and the potential for accumulating snow, according to the National Weather Service.
Chad Shafer, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Pleasant Hill, said the cold air will linger for several days.
“With that, wind chills are also going to increase,” Shafer said. “We have wind chills below minus 10 in much of Missouri, and actually minus 20 in northern Missouri. So it’s going to get cold, and it’s going to stay cold for much of the weekend.”
Forecasters are calling for 2 to 4 inches of snow across parts of the state, with snowfall expected Saturday and Sunday.
Officials urge residents to limit time outdoors and cover all exposed skin to avoid frostbite. Travel is also discouraged during periods of snowfall.
“Definitely don’t recommend it if it starts snowing,” Shafer said. “Avoid unnecessary travel. But if you have to go, definitely bring a survival kit with you — warm clothes, a blanket, first aid kit, extra water — just in case you get stuck, because you will get cold very fast.”
The cold snap is not limited to Missouri. The same system is expected to bring winter weather and dangerously cold temperatures to much of the United States.
Listeners can find the latest weather updates and cold weather advisories on KXCV or at NOAA.gov.