Bitter cold on its way

Grab your hat and gloves and maybe a scarf before heading out today.

An arctic front with snow, wind and bitter cold is expected to descend over the Inland Northwest this morning and hold a grip for several days. Single-digit lows are forecast tonight along with 15- to 30-mph winds.

Forecasters on Wednesday said 1 to 2 inches of snow may accompany the front, resulting in slick driving conditions, worsened by the potential whiteout conditions. The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook to back up its forecast.

The combined effect of wind and temperature could make temperatures feel as cold as 20 below zero, under the weather service’s wind chill formula.

“For now, the primary hazard we are trying to address is the cold,” Rocco Pelatti, forecaster for the weather service in Spokane, said Wednesday. The cold has potential to cause unprotected water pipes to burst. Prolonged skin exposure could lead to frostbite under such conditions.

Winds are expected to be strongest near Bonners Ferry, Sandpoint, Rathdrum, Hayden and Post Falls, where a north-to-south gap between mountains is notorious for funneling arctic air into the region. Gusts could reach 35 mph.

“The arrival of the cold air will be accompanied by strong north to northeast winds resulting in wind chill values in the teens below zero and, locally, 20s below zero,” according to the hazardous outlook statement.

Forecasters predict temperatures will fall even further on Friday with lows dipping to near or just below zero in most of Eastern Washington and North Idaho. Highs on Friday are expected to be about 17.

Only a slight warm up of about 5 degrees each day is expected on Sunday and Monday. Cold weather should continue through Tuesday.

This week’s cold will be a repeat of the dry, frigid conditions that saw the temperature drop to minus 3 degrees on Dec. 7, the coldest reading of the season.

It could be worse. The record for Feb. 15 in Spokane is 16 degrees below zero, set in 1936.

The normal high for mid-February is 39 degrees, and the average low is 26 degrees.