Dangerous cold, wind, snow on way sparks worry of flash freeze

It will be mostly cloudy overnight, with a low of 31.

Thursday, rain is expected by about 5 p.m., then changing to snow around 11 p.m.

Temperatures will rapidly fall all the way to around zero degrees, and one to two inches of snow will fall through early Friday.

“Biggest concern Thursday night is the potential for a flash freeze due to rapidly falling temperatures, which may affect the morning commute Friday,” the NWS tweeted.

There is a Winter Storm Watch in effect for Champaign, Darke and Miami counties starting Thursday evening and continuing through Friday afternoon. However, all area counties will see blowing snow, slippery roads and dangerously cold temperatures.

A chance of snow will remain through about 1 p.m. Friday, which will be bitterly cold. The high Friday is predicted to be 4 degrees.

With winds of roughly 25 to 30 mph Friday, and gusts as high as 47 mph, wind chills from minus 10 degrees to minus 30 degrees are possible, the NWS said.

“Even minor amounts of snow, combined with the gusty winds, may lead to blowing snow and reduced visibility, causing impacts to holiday travel,” the NWS said.

When temperatures are so cold, frostbite can form on exposed skin in as little as half an hour. Meanwhile, strong winds could cause tree damage, leading to a chance for power outages.

Friday night, the low will fall to 1 degree below zero, the NWS predicted, and wind chills will make it feel colder, potentially 20 degrees below zero overnight.

Winds are expected to continue to gradually fall on Saturday, and the weather should be partly sunny with a high of 9 degrees on Christmas Eve.

For Christmas Day, the forecast calls for more sun and temperatures in the teens.