A blast of bitter cold swept across the Midwest and Northeast Friday, with snow squalls and sudden whiteout conditions making driving dangerous in some places.

Wind chill from gusty northwesterly winds will make for the coldest  weather in decades. Windchill warnings and advisories were in effect for the Northern Plains as well as the Northeast. Most of the cold weather on Friday was brought in by Thursday night storms, and the most extreme conditions were expected Friday night into Saturday morning.

Some parts of the country will see the lowest wind chills in 40 years.

By Friday evening, wind gusts of up to 127 miles an hour were recorded on the summit, and the temperature dipped to minus 45.5 degrees Fahrenheit.