Arctic Blast Incoming

IF YOU HAVE AN ADMISSION TICKET, USE IT TO GET IN OTHER DAYS OF THE PARK UNTIL NEW YEAR’S EVE. STEVEN: IT IS GOING TO BE COLD WITH THE WIND AND THE SNOW. RANDI: THE COLD AND WIND ARE THE LINGERING FACTORS FROM THESE THINGS. IT IS TRULY AN ARCTIC BLAST. THE TEMPERATURE DROP IS IMPRESSIVE. WE ARE GOING FROM THE MID-40’S DOWN TO ZERO. KELLY: IMPRESSIVE AND SLIGHTLY TERRIFYING. LIKE IS THAT POSSIBLE? I GUESS SO. RANDI: AS WE TAKE A LOOK AT THIS PREHOLIDAY BLAST, ARCTIC AIR INVADING THE MIDWEST ALONG WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR SOME RAIN AND SOME SNOW. THE GUSTY WINDS STICK AROUND ALL THE WAY THROUGH CHRISTMAS. LET’S SHOW YOU HOW THIS IS PLAYING UP BECAUSE THERE HAVE BEEN TWEAKS IN THE OVERNIGHT TO THE TIMING OF THIS SYSTEM. TOMORROW IS A WEATHER IMPACT DAY BUT TOMORROW IT IS STILL IN THE MID-40’S DURING THE DAY. RAINING TOMORROW, SPOTTY SHOWERS DURING THE DAY. THE STEADIER RAIN STARTS TO MOVE IN AS THE SUN GOES DOWN. 5:00 6:00 YOU HAVE STEADY RAIN WHICH MEANS THE ROADS ARE WET. AND THEY CANNOT PRETREAT BECAUSE THE SNOW -- CONSULT WE GET WASHED AWAY. THURSDAY NIGHT, ARCTIC AIR MOVES IN AND OUR TEMPERATURES DROP VERY FAST. A 40 DEGREES DROP IN THE SPAN OF JUST A FEW HOURS. THE WET ROADS WILL TURN TO ICE AND WE HAVE SNOW ON TOP BECAUSE WE ARE GOING TO GO FROM RAIN TO SNOW. YOU WILL HAVE AN ISOLATED LAYER WITH A CUTE ON TOP. THIS COMES IN CONJUNCTION WITH 40-50 MILE AN HOUR WIND GUSTS. OUR WIND CHILLS WILL DROP TO -15 TO -25 DEGREES BELOW ZERO. THIS IS WHY WE HAVE UPGRADED TO THE WEATHER WARNING SYMBOL BECAUSE THIS WILL ABSOLUTELY HAVE AN IMPACT IF YOU AND LEAVING YOUR HOME OR DRIVING ANYWHERE THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY. HE STILL IS UP HERE IN THE NORTHERN PLAINS AND LAST NIGHT MONTANA HAD A WIND CHILL 70 BELOW. SNOW IS INTO WISCONSIN BY TONIGHT. FOR OUR AREA, THE RAIN STARTS ROLLING TOMORROW WITH OCCASIONAL SHOWERS. THE TWEAK TO THE FORECAST IS HOW QUICKLY THE ARCTIC AIR IS GOING TO ARRIVE. AS OF YESTERDAY, WE ARE SEEING ABOUT MIDNIGHT. IT CAN BE AS SOON AS 9:00 P.M. SO WATCH THIS PROGRESSION. 8:00 TOMORROW, MID-40’S FOR EVERYBODY AND STILL RAINING. THE COLD AIR BARGES IN BY 10 AND 11:00 AND WE ARE SEEING TEMPERATURES DIVEBOMBING INTO THE 20’S BY MIDNIGHT AND THEN TOWARDS ZERO DEGREES BY 2:00 AND 3:00. YOU HAVE AN ICY LAYER AND ARE CONTINUING TO SEE SNOW PILE ON TOP. THE STILL MOVES OUT AS THE SUN COMES UP. WE CAN GET ALL OF OUR SNOW WHILE MOST PEOPLE ARE SLEEPING EARLY FRIDAY BUT BLOWING SNOW WILL CONTINUE TO BE AN ISSUE BECAUSE WE HAVE FLUFFY SNOW THAT GETS AROUND WITH THE 40-50 MILE-PER-HOUR WINDS. THAT WILL CONTINUE TO BE AN ISSUE FOR US FRIDAY AND INTO SATURDAY. HERE ARE OUR WIND CHILL CONCERNS. SUSTAINED WINDS AT 22 MILES AN HOUR. GUS 40-50 AND IT WILL FEEL LIKE 20 BELOW. WE START OUT FEELING 25 BELOW ZERO OR SO. IT GETS BETTER IN THE AFTERNOON BUT GENERAL IMPROVEMENTS. TODAY, A BREEZE, EARLY SUNSHINE. FINISH ALL OF YOUR ERRANDS TODAY. TOMORROW, RAIN AND SNOW LATE. GUSTY WINDS CONTINUE SATURDAY. CHRISTMAS, THREE DEGREES IN THE MORNING WITH PROBABLY A SUBZERO WIND CHILL BUT THE W