Today’s weather forecast is full of warnings and advisories for what lies ahead. We will see damaging, possibly deadly cold tonight and Thursday. Highs through the end of the week will barely reach 40 degrees.

A wind chill advisory is in effect from 12 a.m. Jan. 8, Thursday, till 9 a.m. that day. Wind chill values tonight will be around -2 degrees, and as low as -3 on Thursday morning. At that level, unprotected skin may be damaged by frostbite.

Be sure to dress warmly, in layers, and protect your nose and ears, as well as your extremities. Even the National Weather Service says you should wear a hat and gloves when going outdoors.

We still have the danger of wildfires on Thursday with the very cold, very dry conditions.

Temperatures for the rest of the week will be 10 to 20 degrees below normal. Tonight and Thursday will bring the coldest temperatures since last January’s cold wave.

The prolonged deep cold will likely freeze unprotected water pipes, damage undrained sprinkler systems and result in a thin layer of ice along stream beds and across ponds. Power outages are possible.

Please check on neighbors who are vulnerable to the cold and make sure they have a way to stay warm, or get them to a warm place for the next several nights. Livestock and pets will need a source of water. Any unheated water supply will freeze and remain frozen.

Clouds will eventually clear today, becoming mostly sunny, but the high will be only 36. Northwest winds will blow  at 6-11 mph, then increase this afternoon to 12-17 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph.

Tonight’s clear skies will allow the low to drop to 10 degrees. The winds chill will make it feel like -2. The winds will continue at 11-17 mph, with more gusts around 30 mph.

Thursday we’ll only reach 27 degrees. The wind chill will make it feel more like -3. Thursday’s low will be 18 degrees.

Mostly sunny skies Friday will allow a warmup to 40 degrees, but the night will be a cold 20 degrees.

Saturday will be sunny but quite cold, with a high of just 37 and a low around 21.

Sunday warms into the low 40s, but it will be mostly cloudy. The trouble may move in Sunday night, with a 30 percent chance of rain or freezing rain. The low will hover around the freezing mark, 32.

There’s a 40 percent chance of rain or freezing rain Monday, with a high of 46. The chance of rain goes up Monday night to 50 percent, with a low again around 32 degrees.

Tuesday brings a 40 percent chance of rain, with a high near 42.