Midwest, Northeast Braces for ‘Life Threatening’ Arctic Blast

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As much of the country digs out from a powerful winter storm that buried parts of the Northeast, forecasters are predicting an arctic-air blast over the northern tier of the country that will likely deliver the coldest air of the year.

The National Weather Service said the unusually cold air is expected to arrive by the weekend and will send wind chill temperatures in areas in North Dakota and Minnesota to minus 50 degrees by Saturday night.

Those states are notorious for their cold winters, but states in the Mid-Atlantic and New England can also expect wind chill temperatures as low as minus 20 degrees.

The cold air will be the result of the polar vortex dropping from Central Canada, NOAA reported. To put the drastic temperature in perspective, Ken Simosko, a meteorologist from Bismarck, said it would take all of five minutes to get frostbite in minus 50 degree condition.

“We usually don’t call something ‘life threatening,'” he told FoxNews.com. “But yes, we want people to know that this is very much a life-threatening event.”