Wind chills below zero expected in Basin
The Moses Lake School District is reminding parents to send students to school with winter weather clothing, including coats, hats and gloves, as temperatures drop in the area.
MOSES LAKE - Wind chills of 15 to 25 degrees below zero are expected in the Basin from Friday night to Saturday morning, according to the National Weather Service in Spokane.
A wind chill watch is in effect from about 10 p.m. Friday to 10 a.m. Saturday.
A surge of Arctic air will spill into the Inland Northwest by Friday night and with northerly winds will create dangerous wind chills. Wind gusts could reach more than 30 mph Friday night.
The wind chill watch is in effect for all of Grant County.
Nighttime temperatures are expected to drop to single digits through Sunday, with daytime temperatures reaching near 20 degrees, the weather service said. With the wind chill, values could drop to dangerous levels.
The weather service has also forecasted a potential for snow by Tuesday night.
A wind chill watch means there is the potential for a combination of very cold air and strong winds to create dangerously low wind chill values, according to the weather service. Wind chill temperatures this cold can cause frostbite to exposed skin within a matter of minutes.
The weather service recommends anyone who plans to be outdoors should dress in warm clothing and minimize exposure. Pets and livestock are also impacted by the cold. It's important to ensure they have a warm dry shelter and access to food and unfrozen water.
A hazardous weather outlook has also been issued in the Lower Columbia Basin, Yakima Valley, Blue Mountains and east slopes of the Cascades.