December 23, 2022

Coldest Christmas in decades is possible for parts of US: What to expect

WATCH: More than 180 million on alert as winter storm moves in

It's time to bundle up: this could be the coldest Christmas in decades for parts of the country.

Here's the latest forecast:

MORE: Winter storm cancels flights: Your holiday forecast

In Cheyenne, Wyoming, the temperature dropped 43 degrees in just 1 hour.

Denver fell to a low of minus 24 on Thursday with a high of minus 6, making it the coldest day in the city since 1983. The Denver Coliseum has been converted into a 24/7 warming center.

On Friday, the wind chill -- what temperature it feels like -- is forecast to plunge to a bone-chilling minus 33 degrees in Chicago and minus 27 degrees in Kansas City.

Charles Rex Arbogast/AP
Bus riders wait at a sheltered stop in Chicago's Loop as snow falls and a public service message reminds riders of the winter storm in Chicago, Dec. 22, 2022.

Even the South will be below freezing on Friday with winds chills falling to minus 17 degrees in Nashville, minus 15 degrees in Little Rock and minus 4 degrees in Dallas.

Seth Herald/AFP via Getty Images
A musician departs following a show on Broadway, a popular tourist street in Nashville, Tennessee, Dec. 22, 2022.
MORE: How to stay safe in cold as frigid temperatures hit

On Saturday morning, the wind chill is forecast reach minus 39 degrees in Minneapolis, minus 16 degrees in New York, minus 14 degrees in Nashville and minus 25 degrees in Columbus.

Abbie Parr/AP
A dog walker named Courtney walks with her dogs near Lake of the Isles, Dec. 22, 2022, in Minneapolis.
Abbie Parr/AP
Kids shovel snow off a sidewalk and driveway Dec. 22, 2022, in Minneapolis.

On Christmas morning, the wind chill is forecast to clock in at minus 4 degrees in New York City, 5 degrees in Atlanta, 17 degrees in Jacksonville and 19 degrees in Tampa.

This could mark Nashville's coldest Christmas in 39 years and Atlanta's coldest in 37 years.