Dangerously low wind chills

GREEN BAY - It's dangerous when temperatures drop into the single digits and even below zero. Especially when combined with a biting, blustery wind. And it can happen in a hurry.

“I mean, really in a matter of minutes that you could have actual early frostbite... and can cause problems if it goes beyond that. If you get to later stages of frostbite over the course of 15, 20 minutes to an hour you could have blistering and some permanent damage, potentially,” said Dr. Chris Thompson, director of St. Vincent emergency services.

And frostbite isn't the only danger. Dr. Thompson says hypothermia sets in more quickly with frigid wind chills.

In the Green Bay area, the steady breeze dropped wind chills to around 20 below zero.    

That wasn't quite low enough to cancel most area schools.
    
But further north the bitter cold forced the Florence School District, along the Michigan-Wisconsin border, to close its doors.
    
Superintendent Tom Woznicki says while students were the primary concern, they weren't the only concern.

“We're concerned about the safety of the drivers and then the students once they're on the buses, and there are also often parents or guardians walking the children down to the end of a long driveway and then back up again. And of course, we want to be considerate of those outcomes,” said Woznicki.

With this arctic air set to stay in place for at least another two days, it's best to keep the heavy winter clothes close at hand.
    
Temperatures Monday night could drop into the teens below zero.
    
When you factor in the wind chills, it could feel like less than 30 degrees below zero.
   
At that point, symptoms of frost bite can set in even faster than Dr. Thompson's guideline of 15 minutes.