EXTREME COLD CONDITIONS THURSDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH THE WEEKEND... Record-breaking cold temperatures are expected to spread across western Washington this afternoon and tonight and continue into at least early next week. The coldest temperatures and wind chills are expected Friday through Sunday followed by a very slow warming trend. This cold snap will begin with rapidly falling temperatures this afternoon through tonight and could result in flash freezing of any wet surfaces including roadways. This could create rapidly deteriorating travel/commute conditions. By Friday morning, extremely cold air will be in place across western Washington with overnight lows ranging from the single digits in western Whatcom County to around 15-25 degrees across most other lowland areas. Temperatures will likely cool further on Saturday morning with most locations seeing overnight lows in the teens. These cold temperatures will combine with enhanced winds to result in even colder wind chill values. Widespread wind chills of 15 to 5 degrees above zero are likely with even colder wind chills of negative 5 to negative 25 degrees across western Whatcom County where wind gusts of 40 to 55 mph are expected to peak tonight. Please take precautions to ensure your safety over the coming days. Slow down and leave plenty of space when driving as icy conditions are likely to develop. Know the signs of hypothermia and frostbite and don`t forget to protect your pets, pipes, and sensitive plants. If you or anyone you know needs to find shelter, please visit wa211.org or call 2-1-1 during business hours to find sheltering and humans service resources.