Charles Crane/MDN A contracted Allegiant employee prepares to de-ice an Allegiant Airline jet on the tarmacFriday, a day during which the extreme cold caused delays and cancellations of some flights.

The National Weather Service in Bismarck issued a flurry of advisories and warnings leading into the Martin Luther King holiday weekend, which is expected to be marred by brutal wind chill and blizzard-like conditions in rural areas.

NWS meteorologist Todd Hamilton in Bismarck said the wind chill effect warning that went into effect Friday evening is set to run through Monday morning, with wind chills as low as 55 degrees below zero.

“With temperatures that cold we consider that life threatening. Five to 10 minutes without your skin protection can lead to frostbite,” Hamilton said. “The coldest period is probably going to be from Friday through Saturday.”

With a high of -11 forecast for today, and blustery snow with a low of -23 for this evening, Hamilton said it was possible even a sunny afternoon might not be enough to alleviate unforgiving cold brought on by the wind chill.

Wind speeds as high as 45 miles per hour are expected, with most of the cold concentrated around the western and central regions of the state. A winter weather advisory has been issued, which Hamilton said includes a possible an inch or two of snow. Hamilton indicated the effects of the blowing snow would be mostly felt outside of Minot in rural areas, which will degrade to near blizzard and whiteout conditions as the weekend progresses.

“We don’t have just the wind chill. The combination of those two makes things really just terrible,” Hamilton said. “Consider canceling or delaying travel as late as possible. If you have a winter survival kit, make sure you have it. If you get stranded out there tonight, it’s certainly a life-threatening ordeal.”