Arctic front brings high wind, dangerous cold

SALT LAKE CITY — The National Weather Service's windchill warning for the state says gusts are sending temperatures on a nosedive into dangerous conditions, particularly early this morning, in which exposure can easily lead to frostbite or even death.

In others words, forecaster Nanette Hosenfeld stressed, it's getting really, really, incredibly cold out there and an advisory will stay in effect through 10 a.m. today.

Nighttime lows were to be 10 degrees in St. George, minus 16 in Davis County and the same for the Salt Lake City area.

About 2 p.m. Tuesday, the coldest windchill in the state was at Snowbasin. The temperature was logged at minus 10 degrees, but with 48 mph winds, the windchill brought it to minus 40.

The problem, Hosenfeld says, is that it is already cold out there because of the storm that passed through.

"The clouds, which act like a blanket and keep us warm, have cleared out."

Even colder air to the northeast of the state was being ushered down the canyons, making it worse, Hosenfeld said.

"It comes spilling down the mountain and it accelerates like you accelerate your car. By the time it hits the valley floor it's really moving."

Typically, the strong gusty winds linger at mountain tops, where there is less friction and few obstacles (such as buildings) to break the flow, she said.

These cold canyon blasts, however, are playing havoc with travelers and creating potentially dangerous conditions, especially for high profile travelers. Kaysville and Centerville on Tuesday had already been buffeted with 60 mph winds and the same conditions were hitting St. George.

"The thing that is unusual is that the valley winds are significantly stronger than the mountain winds," Hosenfeld said.

The Uintah Basin area, with its multiple canyons and bowl-shaped topography, was to dip to negative 23 overnight.

With windchill, it would have felt like negative 45.

Under such conditions, the National Weather Service advised that frostbite and hypothermia can easily happen.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has these warning signs for frostbite and says medical attention should be sought immediately:

A white or grayish-yellow skin area

Skin that feels unusually firm or waxy