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COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- It's not the snow with this storm, it's the brutal cold.

While a few inches of snow were noted across the region, winds just created minor drifts and road conditions were only slick in spots. However, some of the coldest air in decades moved through the plains.

There was a noticable drop in temperatures on Monday, with subzero readings officially hitting Colorado Springs at midnight. The arctic plunge coupled with the wind have yielded dangerous, potentially deadly wind chills, dropping to -30 or lower! This means frostbite will set in on exposed skin in a matter of minutes!

However, snow and cloud cover will wane throughout the day Tuesday, and winds will gradually ease as well. Temperatures will tank Tuesday night. Especially if we see decreasing clouds and light winds, Tuesday night will be one for the record books. The record low at Colorado Springs is -16 degrees, and for Pueblo, -19 degrees. As of now, I have lows breaking those records. The last time we saw -20 degrees in Colorado Springs was in December of 1990. We will make a run at that Wednesday morning.

This is a dangerously cold airmass that is potentially deadly to those unprepared for the cold. Wind chills will drop to -30 at times, possibly lower. Again, frostbite sets in in minutes on exposed skin.

It will be very tough to recover Wednesday after a brutally cold morning. The coldest air should remain unscoured over the plains.

The arctic air finally starts to moderate by Thursday, but temperatures will be slow to rise above freezing. A persistent northwest flow in the upper levels of the atmosphere will keep the remainder of the week seasonably cool, but not as frigid. Of course, stay tuned to the latest forecast by visiting our weather page.

This same storm will bring extremely cold air and volatile weather conditions to most of the country. Blizzard conditions are noted as far south as Oklahoma, extending nearly 1000 miles to the Great Lakes area as well. Expect travel to be especially hazardous across the country. This storm will be one of the strongest in the nation in decades.