(Radio Iowa) – What one forecaster is calling an “arctic blast” is headed for Iowa tonight (Wednesday) that’ll mean dangerously bitter cold temperatures by early tomorrow. Meteorologist Jim Lee, at the National Weather Service in metro Des Moines, says most of the state will likely set records for the cold in the morning, with air temps in the teens-below-zero, and wind chills that’ll be even worse. “The good news is that the winds will be relatively light,” Lee says, “so the wind chill temperatures will be somewhat lower than the air temperatures, probably in the range of about 20-below or so.”

It’s not exactly a warm-up, but Lee says the exceptionally cold air will only stick around for a short time. “Thursday will remain chilly for most of the day,” Lee says. “The high temperature will probably be roughly around 10 or 12-above, but then by Friday we’re looking at a high already pushing almost 30.”

There’s a possibility for more snow this weekend, perhaps Saturday night, but Lee says it won’t be anything like the statewide storm that hit last weekend, which dropped up to 16 inches of snow in some areas.