Cancellations mount as ‘life-threatening’ wind chills move in

Car won’t start? Pipes frozen solid? Look at it this way.

With “life-threatening” wind chills and the coldest temperatures in more than a decade forecast for the Kansas City area through Tuesday morning, your miseries will have plenty of frigid company.

Cancellation notices mounted as the mercury plummeted. Students who had been scheduled to return from their holiday breaks on Monday got an extension as school districts across the region said they would stay closed for the day.

The National Weather Service in Kansas City predicted a low of 8 below for Monday morning, shy of the record low for this date of 13 below set in 1912.

But life-threatening wind chills will make it feel much colder.

Winds gusting up to 21 mph out of the north and northwest that were forecast throughout the day could make it feel like minus 25 degrees at times in eastern Kansas and western Missouri. Wind chills of 40 below were forecast for the Missouri-Iowa border.

The predicted high temperature: 4 above. The last time Kansas City recorded a high temperature that low was in 1999.

Under such conditions, anyone venturing outside should use caution, authorities said. Wind chills this cold can quickly cause frostbite on exposed skin and lead to hypothermia.

Except for some flurries, the chance of measurable precipitation was just 10 percent. However, the wind could lead to some blowing and drifting snow.

The good news: a high of 27 is forecast for Tuesday, after a morning low of 2 below, with wind chills between minus 1 and minus 11.

The bad news: Trash pickup will be delayed a day in Kansas City and possibly other jurisdictions.

This story was originally published January 5, 2014 at 7:13 PM with the headline "Cancellations mount as ‘life-threatening’ wind chills move in."