-30 wind chills in Metro Detroit? Weather forecast shows potential during stretch of extreme cold
Warming centers ready amid Metro Detroit cold snap
Warming centers are open around Detroit as temperatures dip to dangerous levels this week.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - As Metro Detroit approaches its coldest temperatures in seven years, the focus is on the wind chills.
VIEW: Detroit warming centers
While highs are forecasted to reach double digits this week, it feels much colder. On Tuesday morning, some areas of Southeast Michigan felt as cold as -15. If that sounds bad, unfortunately, it's going to get even worse.
A Winter Weather Advisory was issued for SE Michigan beginning at 3 a.m. and running until 1 p.m. Wednesday.
Between one to three inches of snow is expected with the highest amounts falling between I-94 and I-69, according to the National Weather Service.
Peak snowfall is expected to happen in Metro Detroit between 4 a.m. and 10 a.m.
Frigid weekend ahead
Friday begins the start of a polar vortex surge. Lows Friday will be sub-zero, while current models show -20 wind chills that afternoon.
Overnight into Saturday is when the most frigid air will grip the region. Currently, the forecast shows the potential for wind chills of -33.
This cold night leads into a weekend that doesn't feel much better. Highs Saturday are only forecasted to be in the single-digits before only slightly improving to the double digits Sunday.
A model showing forecasted wind chills for Friday, Jan. 23 into Saturday, Jan. 24
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Big picture view:
The weekend is expected to be the coldest weather in Metro Detroit since January 2019, when lows reached -14. That was the actual temperature – not the wind chill.
According to National Weather Service (NWS) data, it will certainly feel bitter outside, but it likely won't be record-breaking, as negative double-digit temperatures, not wind chills, would be needed to set records.