(COLORADO SPRINGS) — The weather in Colorado Springs is going to take a turn from warm sunshine to frigid cold later in the week.

“Looking at the weather, we have a really strong jet stream coming through. And essentially what that means is a bunch of arctic air is going to be pushed from the north and essentially fill over our southeastern Colorado even further south,” said Lead Meteorologist for National Weather Service in Pueblo, Clint Skelly. “But, you know, the interesting part about this is that the day before, so… Wednesday, it’s going to actually be pretty warm.”

Skelly shared the arctic air blast will bring strong winds and cold temperatures over northeastern El Paso County.

“If you’re going to be outside with those kind of wind chills, if you’re not covered up pretty much completely, frostbite can happen within around 10 minutes,” Skelly said. “So, it’s important, one, to stay bundled. But two, you also have to remember about your pets, furry friends, whatever. If you’re cold, they’re likely cold. So, you know, please bring them in because, you know, they can also be impacted by this cold weather as well.”

Colorado Springs Utilities shared several tips on how to best prepare for the colder temperatures.

“One of the biggest things to do really is to manage your thermostat because furnaces work overtime, they work much more harder,” Colorado Springs Utilities Spokesperson, Steve Berry, said. “They’re not as energy efficient if you have your thermostat cranked over 68 degrees. So the key is it’s counterintuitive, but to actually lower the temp a little bit on your thermostat when you’re home to when you’re away, certainly even lower.”

Another recommendation Berry had was if you are living in an older home, check if the heating is reliable and if it’s not, then find another place to stay. Berry also shared tips to avoid freezing pipes.

“So definitely wrap any exterior plumbing in the insulated materials that you can find at the hardware store, really inexpensive way to give yourself some peace of mind,” Berry said. “Also, open your cabinet doors on any exterior facing walls where you have a kitchen sink or a bathroom sink; open those cabinets underneath. Let a small pen or pen size stream of water come out of that faucet.”

Berry shared the crew at Colorado Springs Utilities is prepared to help in case of a blackout and is prepared to work in these weather conditions.

“Our electric crews have a lot of experience in both working in the weather conditions that are typical for this area,” Berry said. “But also I think of reassurance to our customers. You know, again, cold weather by itself doesn’t necessarily impact our ability to deliver electric service to you, doesn’t mean the sign that there wouldn’t be an unexpected outage.”

Colorado Springs Utilities has a map online that shares power outages in the area.

For those traveling in these cold temperatures, Skelly advised to best be prepared for the cold by bundling up and having a backup plan if you are traveling.

“We don’t normally see these kind of cold temperatures. So, you know, if you’re outside, make sure you bundle up,” Skelly said. “If you have to be outside, make sure to bundle up and be just aware of if you’re traveling if something if the worst-case scenario happens and you know you’re stranded someplace, you’re going to be experiencing, you know, potentially up to -50 degrees Fahrenheit, wind chills.”

The FOX21 storm team app is free to download for Apple and Android devices.

When it comes to the biggest challenge of these cold temperatures, Berry shared it is heavy snow bringing down the overhead electric lines.

“So, we’re thankful and fortunate here is that 77% of our electric system is underground but there’s still that remaining 23% that’s overhead and is susceptible to the heavy wet snows that we sometimes get that can bring a line down and obviously interrupt service to our customers,” Berry said.