Portions of the western United States are about to experience some of the coldest temperatures and biggest snowfalls of the young holiday season while
Canadian air is bringing life-threatening cold to the Plains, according to AccuWeather.com.
Parts of North Dakota and Montana will see highs at zero degrees and lows near 30 below zero overnight, said AccuWeather meteorologist Brian Edwards, and two-thirds of the western United States will get hit with the frigid temperatures by Wednesday and on through Thursday.
Three to six inches of snow was dumped on the northern Rocky Mountains along the United States/Canadian border on Monday, AccuWeather reported, places like Fargo, N.D., International Falls, Minn., and Duluth, Minn. could get hit with more than six more inches of snow by Tuesday night.
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In its report on the western storm bringing life-threatening cold, Weather.com noted that longtime exposure to such cold temperatures can lead to frostbite, hypothermia and even death. Children and the elderly could be harmed the most by the dangerous could and should take extra care.
Weather.com suggested that travelers keep their gas tanks at least half-full to prevent the fuel line from freezing up and drive at lower speeds because of the conditions. Drivers should check to make sure that road emergency kits are updated and refreshed.
Those planning on driving in the colder conditions should make sure their cell phones are charged, they have properly operating jumper cables, and have extra warm clothing, food and water in the vehicle.
Pets should be brought indoors because the extreme cold temperatures could harm them for an extended period of times. Cattle should be brought into sheltered areas and given water.
A surprise blizzard in October killed as many as 100,000 head of cattle in South Dakota after dropping roughly four feet of snow in some portions of the state,
according to Fox News.
South Dakota rancher Matt Kammerer told FoxNews.com that storm cost him about one-third of his entire herd.
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"You're talking about $120,000 of assets that are just gone," said Kammerer. "And we still owe the banks, too. It’s like driving a brand-new pickup off a cliff and still having to make payments."