WEATHER: Wind chills down to -40 to -50 below until noon

Eastern North Dakota and the Red River Valley counties in northwest Minnesota are under a wind chill warning until noon today. It means the combination of very cold air and winds are creating dangerously low wind chill values that can result in frost bite and lead to hypothermia or even death if precautions are not taken.

Northwest winds of 5 to 10 mph will continue and become west winds today, the National Weather Service said. That's creating wind chills of as low as 40 below to 50 below zero this morning.

Dangerously cold wind chills could lead to frostbite and hypothermia if you're outside and not properly dressed. People who venture outside, especially children, should dress warmly with winter coats, hats and gloves.

People who are driving are encouraged to bring winter survival kits with them.

The National Weather Service forecast for Grand Forks:

Today: Sunny, with a high near 7. Wind chill values as low as -36. Southwest wind between 6 and 15 mph.

Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a temperature rising to around 18 by 5am. Breezy, with a southwest wind between 15 and 20 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 29. West wind between 9 and 14 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph.

Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of snow after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 23. West southwest wind around 9 mph.

Friday: A 30 percent chance of snow, mainly before noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 33. West northwest wind between 8 and 10 mph.

Friday Night: A 30 percent chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 23.

Saturday: A 30 percent chance of snow. Cloudy, with a high near 28.

Saturday Night: A chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 6.

Sunday: A slight chance of snow. Mostly cloudy and blustery, with a high near 15.

Sunday Night: A slight chance of snow. Cloudy and blustery, with a low around -5.

Monday: Mostly cloudy and blustery, with a high near 4.

Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around -11.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 3.

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