Update: Some school districts, including Syracuse, have already announced they’ll be closed on Friday because of the cold. Wind chill values could be 20 below zero Friday morning.
Syracuse, N.Y. -- The National Weather Service has issued wind chill warnings across much of Upstate New York for Friday and Saturday, cautioning that the combination of cold air and high winds could cause frostbite on exposed skin.
Snow squalls could also reduce visibility and make roads slippery, creating hazardous travel.
The warnings cover nearly all of Upstate from Syracuse to the east. Wind chill values in much of that area could drop to 25 or 35 degrees below zero; in the Adirondacks, they could plummet to a bone-chilling 70 below.
“The dangerously cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes,” the warning said.
Temperatures will drop below zero Saturday morning across most of Upstate. Syracuse’s low is forecast to be minus 4, while Old Forge could see 22 below zero.
Accompanying that brutal cold will be wind with gusts up to 40 mph today and Saturday.
Wind chill measures the combined effect of cold and wind on human skin. Warm air from our skin creates an invisible layer of insulation, and wind pushes away that radiant heat. You get colder faster can can even suffer frostbite or hypothermia.
Today’s blast of cold air comes from the southward dip of the polar vortex, a high ribbon of air that circulates around the north pole. The vortex wobbles, and this weekend’s wobble will cover much of the Northeast, making it likely the coldest spot in the continental U.S.
Today starts off mild, with temperatures rising into the mid 30s by afternoon. That will change in a hurry as the Arctic air surges in. Temperatures will drop steadily starting about 4 p.m. today; by Friday afternoon, Syracuse could fall to 1 degree above zero, a drop of 32 degrees in about 20 hours.
A line of snow squalls is expected tonight and early Friday, which could make for dangerous travel, the weather service said.
“Visibility will drop rapidly in these squalls as winds increase out of the northwest and snow intensity picks up,” the weather service said. “Roads may also quickly become snow-covered.”
Behind those squalls will be some narrow bands of lake effect snow, which will fall off and on Friday. Central New York and Tug Hill will likely get the most snow. Syracuse could get up to 4 inches, although the weather service said it will be hard to measure because the winds will blow the snow around.
Temperatures will hover around zero during the day Friday, and then drop a few degrees by Saturday morning. By noon Saturday, we’re back into the teens, and Sunday will feel positively tropical at 40 degrees.
NOAA