By Chris Spears

DENVER (CBS4) – An arctic blast will invade the eastern half of Colorado this weekend with widespread sub-zero temperatures each night. By Sunday afternoon some places in northeast Colorado may struggle to reach 0°F for a high as the heart of the cold moves into the state.

RELATED: With Cold Temperatures, Drivers In Denver Urged To Avoid Car Theft Due To ‘Puffing’

In addition to the cold air temperatures we will also see dangerous wind chill values over the next few days. Some places could see readings as low as -25°F. The wind chill takes the air temperature and wind speed to calculate a “feels like” temperature for people and animals outside.

Now is the time to take precautions to protect livestock and outdoor pets. Large animals will need water that won’t freeze and shelter if possible. Small animals will need to come inside for the next few nights or be provided with a sturdy, warm shelter along with plenty of food and water.

Any pipes in your home or business, especially those that are on an exterior wall, will need to be monitored so they don’t freeze and burst. A few simple actions can help prevent damage such as wrapping the pipe, leaving cabinet doors open to receive heat from inside your home and allowing the faucet to drip so water keeps moving through the pipe.

(credit: CBS)

If you plan to be outside for any length of time be sure to protect all exposed skin, including your head, fingers and toes. It can take less than 30 minutes for frost bite to develop with temperatures as cold as what we have in the forecast.

If you bundle up head to toe and make quick trips outside you can enjoy the cold. Below is a link to a few quick weather experiments for the whole family to enjoy.

RELATED: Fun Family Experiments To Try During This Weekend’s Bitter Cold Arctic Blast

Chris Spears