The wind chills reaching as low as minus 40 degrees will be the coldest temperatures seen in Maine since 2016.
Paul Conley stacks firewood for sale at a small lumber mill Tuesday in Wilton. Bitterly cold weather is expected throughout much of the country later this week. Credit: Robert F. Bukaty / AP

The Maine Emergency Management Agency is urging Mainers to prepare for the extreme cold weather sweeping into the state Friday.

MEMA’s Vanessa Corson said wind chills will plunge temperatures into the negative 30s and 40s.

“The cold temperatures that we’re expecting on Friday and Saturday only happen about once in a decade, and we haven’t seen this kind of weather since about 2016,” Corson said. “So we’re urging Mainers, this is the time that you want to be indoors.”

Corson said pets should only be let outside briefly and livestock owners should check to make sure water doesn’t freeze.

Officials are also urging Mainers to check on neighbors, friends and family. If local warming and charging centers open, they’ll be listed on the agency’s website or can be found by calling 211.

This article appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.