Eastern Idaho is colder than Antarctica this week. How long will it last?

IDAHO FALLS — Warm up your car extra early this week because eastern Idaho is in for quite the chill.

Cold temperatures on Monday morning prevented cars from starting, froze the roads, and encouraged Idahoans to wear all of their extra layers.

The coldest temperature in Idaho Falls was around 6:55 a.m. at -18 degrees, according to the National Weather Service, and felt like -32 degrees with the wind chill.

Rexburg was even colder, with its lowest temperature around 8 a.m. at -18 degrees, but with a windchill of -37 degrees.

Pocatello was a bit warmer, but not exactly sun-tanning weather. At 7:50 a.m., the Gate City saw temperatures of -11 degrees. With wind chill, it was -23 degrees.

Driggs recorded the coldest weather in the area with a whopping -33 degrees without windchill at 8 a.m. With windchill, radars recorded their temperatures at -46 degrees around 7:40 a.m.

These temperatures are much colder than Antarctica, whose lowest temperature was a crisp 14 degrees on Monday morning. It should be noted, it is currently summer there.

When will it get warmer?

According to Audra Moore, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pocatello, the light at the end of this chilly tunnel is pretty far.

“(Monday morning) is definitely the coldest morning that we’re expecting,” says Moore. “(Tuesday) will be a couple degrees ‘warmer’ but not by much.”

The National Weather Service expects to see temperatures around and above 10 degrees by Friday but another cold front is expected over the weekend.

“Our morning lows are going to just kind of very gradually warm up through the rest of this week. Now that said, a lot of us are probably going to be a couple degrees on either side of zero basically through Thursday morning,” says Moore. “Friday morning looks like about the soonest we get close to the Idaho Falls area finally getting back up to about 10 degrees in the morning.”

The National Weather Service has also extended the Extreme Cold Weather Warning through Tuesday morning.

RELATED | Monday and Tuesday will be extremely cold in eastern Idaho

How to keep you and your pets safe

Moore says it’s important to limit outdoor exposure only to when absolutely necessary, and if it is, make sure to dress for the weather.

“If you don’t have to be outside for any length of time, don’t. For those who can’t get inside, try to check out some public areas like libraries, or malls, or someplace where you can be inside for a little while,” says Moore. “If you do have to go out and about, you have to make sure to wear multiple layers…and of course remembering to bring in your pets. Limit their time spent outside, that’s a big thing.”

If you have to drive, Moore recommends wearing snow pants in case you have to get out of your car for an extended period of time and making sure to bring extra layers and plenty of food and water.

“If you’re going to be driving, cars don’t like the cold either. So always make sure you’ve got an extra blanket in your car, some extra water, and some snacks,” says Moore. “Just incase your car would stall somewhere and you have to wait for someone to come pick you up, or get towed somewhere.”

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