An arctic blast is expected to impact the region starting this weekend and continuing through the middle of next week.

Meteorologist Brad Small with the National Weather Service says they expect air temperatures to plummet to below zero and stay there for the next several days. That cold air, coupled with sustained winds between 15-25 MPH, will cause wind chill values to drop to between 25 and 40 below zero; in that range, Small says frostbite and hypothermia can occur in as little as 10 minutes without proper precautions. The coldest air moves in overnight Saturday and continues through Tuesday morning, as overnight low temperatures dip into the teens below zero. While slightly warmer conditions are expected to return by Wednesday of next week, the air will generally remain well-below average into next weekend.

This extreme cold can not only be dangerous with outdoor exposure, but it will cause strain on heating systems and could damage exposed pipes. Additionally, snow that falls through this evening could be blowing around on roads for the better part of this weekend.