By Brandi Makuski

Stevens Point Police Chief Kevin Ruder is asking area residents to stay inside if at all possible through Tuesday.

The National Weather Service early Sunday morning issued a wind chill warning for all of Central Wisconsin, indicating wind chills of 20-25 below zero can be expected through 6 PM this evening. That number climbs even lower tonight, as wind chill values dip to the 40-55 below zero mark through noon on Tuesday, Jan. 7.

“What’s most alarming to me is the high temps in the negative teens, where skin freezes in ten minutes,” Ruder said in a phone call to the City-Times office on Saturday. He said his own officers will be wearing face masks while working outside on patrol to minimize exposed skin.

“We really want to encourage the communication to stay indoors where it’s warm. Contact those warming stations if you are all of a sudden trouble with your furnace. The most important thing is to stay inside away from the crazy elements,” he said.

Those crazy elements will bring the coldest weather in almost 20 years to the area, according to the NWS, which called this arctic outbreak “the most severe since February of 1996”. Wisconsin Emergency Management authorities issued an alert Friday afternoon warning outside conditions will be life- threatening and frostbite could occur in as little as 5 minutes.

“Please don’t think this is your everyday winter cold spell- it’s much more than that,” Ruder said.

“People get in routines where they jog in the morning and whatnot,” he added. “Know that the Chief of Police is saying everyone is allowed to put their New Year’s resolution on hold until after Tuesday. Don’t go outside unless you have to.”

The updated list of warming stations can be found here.