Commuters this evening should brace themselves -- first for a bitterly unpleasant dash from office to car and then from car to house.
Temperatures are continuing to drop at a rate that impresses even meteorologists.
By 5 p.m., AccuWeather Inc. is forecasting that temperatures will be around 11 degrees and feel like 12 below zero in the Omaha area because of a stiff north-northwest wind.
The National Weather Service is forecasting that temperatures will drop even more than AccuWeather anticipates -- bottoming out in the single digits this afternoon before stabilizing. Either way, it will be cold.
"It's quite likely the (evening) commute will be unpleasant," said Barbara Mayes, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Valley. "We'll probably continue to see slick roads as they ice over."
The daytime high already has occurred. Just after midnight, it was a balmy 32 degrees.
The thermometer began its dramatic drop around sunrise, as a blast of Arctic air rushed in:
* 6:50 a.m. -- 26 degrees
* 7:50 a.m. -- 20 degrees
* 8:50 a.m. - 14 degrees.
Northeast Nebraska, from Columbus to Norfolk and beyond are under a wind chill advisory because wind chills there are lower than 20 degrees below zero.
The weather overnight isn't expected to be much better. Below-zero windchills are forecast into mid-morning Tuesday, with north-northwest winds blowing around 20 mph, according to AccuWeather Inc., The World-Herald's weather consultant.
But don't give up hope. Later in the week, the weather should warm up. By Friday, the high could even flirt with 40 degrees.
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