Record-breaking arctic outbreak enters final day as some face coldest late-season readings ever
More than 80 locations are bracing for more likely record-low temperatures and sub-zero wind chills, with some facing their coldest late-season readings ever.
Record-breaking arctic outbreak enters its final day Friday
Dangerous wind chill temperatures are forecast for one additional day on Friday throughout the central U.S., extending as far south as the Texas Panhandle.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Friday brings the final day of the record-breaking arctic outbreak that has frozen the central U.S., but the danger isn't over.
While some areas are experiencing a slight reprieve from the extreme lows seen earlier in the week, subzero wind chills persist, stretching from the northern border down to the Gulf Coast. More than 80 locations are bracing for more likely record-low temperatures and sub-zero wind chills, with some facing their coldest late-season readings ever.
People walk along Michigan Avenue as temperatures hovered in the single-digits on February 17, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois.
(Scott Olson/Getty Images)
The coldest wind chill readings between -20 degrees and -30 degrees are anticipated across parts of the central and northern Plains and Upper Midwest. The FOX Forecast Center said these extreme conditions can cause frostbite within as little as 30 minutes.
(FOX Weather)
Cold weather alerts are posted for more than 76 million people across a vast swath of the country, stretching from Nebraska to Texas and eastward beyond the Mississippi River to northern Florida and parts of the Southeast.
(FOX Weather)
Wind chill values in Glasgow, Montana, plunged to -51 degrees Thursday morning as similar life-threatening cold blanketed neighboring states.
Brycandis Clardy, bundled up in a thick scarf and a bright red coat, stands for a portrait as heavy snow falls on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025, in Kansas City.
(Kansas City Star / Contributor / Getty Images)
Cities such as Kansas City, Missouri; Wichita, Kansas; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and Dallas, Texas, experienced their coldest feel-like temperatures since the historic 2021 arctic outbreak. This level of cold this far south is increasing the risk of frozen and burst pipes and water mains.
"The wind is that last punch that really makes you feel it," FOX Weather Meteorologist Britta Merwin said.
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(FOX Weather)
While polar vortex outbreaks are not uncommon, especially in the northern and central Plains, the late-February arrival is particularly intense, pushing conditions to dangerous extremes, the FOX Forecast Center said. The widespread exposure poses significant risks, even for brief periods outdoors.
Temperatures will begin to moderate on Saturday before a major warm-up commences on Sunday.
(FOX Weather)
"You'll notice that we have a more mild trend in the forecast," Merwin said. "Pretty much by Monday, we're going to feel a lot more comfortable for the majority of our country."