Indianapolis could break a 30-year record if temperatures stay below 0 Friday

The wind howling at 45 mph is audible across Indianapolis over the rumbling of furnaces working hard to pump out warm air in subzero temperatures.

Friday began at a shocking minus 10 degrees with winds that made it feel some 20 degrees colder, and the city struggled to warm up, putting it on track to be one of the coldest days in decades.

If the temperatures continue to clock in below zero, Friday will be the first time the city couldn't warm up past zero degrees since Jan. 18, 1994, when the high was minus 4 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

Winter storm live coverage:Winter storm live coverage: Tracking snow, power outages, road conditions and more

Since the storm arrived late Thursday, local officials warned Hoosiers to stay off icy roads and stay indoors to avoid hypothermia and frostbite. State police have responded to more than a hundred accidents and vehicles asking for help while thousands lost power at some point on the first day of the storm.

City officials, nonprofits and social workers encouraged people living on the streets or in tents to seek emergency shelter. Wheeler Mission Ministries said they will have room for those who need it over the weekend.

The deadly cold is rare for Indianapolis, which has experienced only 16 days since 1880 when the temperature remained below zero. The entire eastern United States is suffering a cold front as a collision of different air pressures causes high winds and pulls in arctic cold from the north, said NWS meteorologist Cody Moore.

ListFind warming center hours and locations during winter storm in central Indiana

"It is very unusual, I've lived in Alaska and never experienced conditions like this," he said.

The cold front is reaching as far as the panhandle of Florida, which is experiencing below-freezing temperatures.

How does this storm compare historically?

The wind chill Indianapolis has seen the past two days is also very rare.

The city on average sees around four hours per year of minus 30 degrees wind chill. On Friday, the NWS said it expects to see possibly six to 10 hours of minus 30 degrees wind chill with the possibility of reaching minus 40 degrees.

While Thursday did see a big drop in the temperature for Indianapolis, the greatest change in temperature during a calendar day was 58 degrees on Jan. 12, 1916.

On Thursday the temperature change was 42 degrees, with the high for the day going from 41 degrees to the low being minus 1.

More on the storm:How much snow did Indiana get? Here are snowfall totals from across the state

Temperatures for Indianapolis have not yet reached historic levels which the lowest temperature ever recorded for Indianapolis was minus 27 degrees on Jan. 19, 1994.

The lowest the temperature for Indianapolis has reached since Thursday was minus 9 degrees.

Indianapolis weather forecast: Warmer days are coming

The cold air and high wind will continue through the weekend, when temperatures are expected to rise above zero. According to the NWS forecast, Saturday's conditions are expected to be mostly cloudy with a high near 11 degrees, but gusts of up to 38 mph will bring wind chills as low as minus 23. Christmas Day will be sunny with a high of 15.

But it won't be until around Wednesday that Indianapolis breaks free of below-freezing temperatures.

By the end of next weekend, Hoosiers may see temperatures in the 50s, Moore said.

Binghui Huang can be reached at 317-385-1595 or Bhuang@gannett.com.

Contact IndyStar reporter Caroline Beck at 317-618-5807 or CBeck@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @CarolineB_Indy.

Caroline is also a Report for America corps member with the GroundTruth Project, an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization dedicated to supporting the next generation of journalists in the U.S. and around the world.

Report for America, funded by both private and public donors, covers up to 50% of a reporter's salary. It’s up to IndyStar to find the other half, through local community donors, benefactors, grants or other fundraising activities.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indianapolis weather: City could break 30-year record for cold