MARSHALL — Snow finally arrived in the area earlier this week. Now, southwest Minnesota residents will need to brace for sub-zero temperatures and potentially dangerous wind chills.

“It’s going to be the full gamut of cold,” said Jeff Chapman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls.

Chapman said Wednesday would mark the end of milder weather in the Marshall area. Temperatures would start to fall overnight into today, and the forecast looked frigid through the weekend.

“Likely, you will not exceed 10 degrees, and (the temperature) will probably not be above zero going through the weekend,” he said. The coldest temperatures in the Marshall area would probably come on Saturday night going into Sunday morning, he said.

The temperature was only part of the story, however.

“On top of cold temperatures, we’re also going to be talking about dangerous and potentially life-threatening wind chills,” Chapman said.

The NWS was forecasting wind chills of 20 degrees below zero starting tonight. From Saturday afternoon through midday on Tuesday, wind chills were likely to be anywhere from 25 to 35 degrees below zero in the Marshall area, Chapman said.

For safety, it will be important to limit outdoor exposure this weekend, Chapman said.

“I know a lot of people are antsy to get out,” he said. But the wind chills and temperatures forecast for this weekend can lead to frostbite in a short amount of time. With a wind chill of 35 degrees below zero, exposed skin can freeze in just five to 15 minutes, Chapman said.

In addition to dressing warmly and limiting time outside, people should take precautions like making sure they have fuel and emergency kits in their vehicles, and checking on elders, Chapman said. People should also be cautious when using indoor space heaters to make sure they aren’t giving off toxic fumes.

Chapman said there is also a chance for more snow this afternoon, but the bulk of the snow would likely fall south of the Marshall area.

The weather in the area changed quickly over the past couple of weeks, from an unusually warm December to snow and severe cold. Chapman said amplified weather patterns, like the ones the region had been seeing, were also likely to see pretty quick changes.

The cold and wind were “unusual, but not unprecedented” for the area, he said.