Bitter cold takes over Tuesday night into Wednesday afternoon with wind chills as low as -40. A rare Wind Chill Warning is in effect for much of eastern Iowa due to the extreme cold anticipated to affect the area.

Forecast wind chill values in the -30 to -40 range could cause frostbite to any exposed skin in as little as five to 10 minutes. If you have to be outside for any amount of time, cover as much as you can with scarves, gloves and hats. Seek medical attention if you believe you have frostbite. Symptoms include:

• Cold skin and a prickling feeling
• Numbness
• Unnatural skin color
• Hard or waxy-looking skin

Aside from the dangerous wind chill values, the actual air temperatures will drop into the -15 to -20 range. This could tie or break records in the area. The cities most likely to be near or breaking records will be Cedar Rapids and Dubuque.

Get the latest forecast at IowasNewsNow.com/weather. Schools may cancel or at least delay, the updated listing can be found on our closings page.