Snowflakes were flying fast, as a worker cleared sidewalks near the Schwan’s offices and the Marshall Area YMCA on Wednesday afternoon. While blizzard conditions are forecast to die down today, a dangerous cold snap will also move in, the National Weather Service said.

MARSHALL — Strong wind gusts and blowing snow reduced visibility at times around southwest Minnesota on Wednesday, as the region was in a blizzard warning. The weather closed Marshall area schools early and canceled some evening events. But while the winds gradually die down, extreme cold is forecast to set in starting today, the National Weather Service said.

The NWS said dangerously cold wind chills are possible through the weekend.

“Once we get to Thursday, we’re going to be looking for a strong cold front,” said meteorologist Matthew Dux at the NWS office in Sioux Falls. “The coldest temperatures will be on Thursday night into Friday.”

Wind chills in the Marshall area could reach 40 degrees below zero, Dux said. Temperatures and wind chills will warm slightly on Saturday, but NWS was still forecasting wind chills of more than 20 degrees below zero through Monday.

The NWS recommends that people stay indoors if possible, and limit the time they spend in the cold. Wind chills as low as 40 degrees below zero can cause frostbite in as little as 10 minutes of exposure. If you go outside, make sure to cover exposed skin with a hat, gloves and face covering.

Dux said the extreme cold is part of a weather pattern that has developed over the past week, that will “unlock” a lot of cold air from over the arctic circle, and let it move south.

While parts of the Midwest, including the Dakotas, Minnesota and Wisconsin, are facing extreme cold warnings this week, several states across the southern half of the U.S. are under a winter storm watch, the NWS said. States in an area stretching from Texas and Oklahoma east to Virginia could possibly get several inches of snow, as well as wintry precipitation like sleet or ice.