The cold weather isn’t leaving Lincoln County any time this week.

According to Tony Hurt, meteorologist with the National Weather Service, afternoon temperatures will continue to rise over the course of the week, but the wind chill will keep the air feeling frigid. Overnight temperatures will remain below freezing into and through most of the weekend, and the air will remain dry.

Hurt says there’s no chance of snow this week for the area, nor of any other type of wintery precipitation. Rain is in the forecast for Sunday, but Hurt says the temperatures will have risen away from freezing by then.

The cold weather has been pushed into Lincoln County and surrounding areas by an arctic air mass that has been ushered southward by high pressures over the central United States, according to Hurt. Gusting winds from the north have pushed the air mass further south and into south Mississippi.

“We’re going to see it stay very cold,” Hurt said, “and it’s going to be very dry for the remainder of the week.”

The National Weather Service issued a wind chill advisory Monday, cautioning that as little as 30 minutes in the cold air and wind could cause frostbite to exposed skin and could lead to hypothermia. The advisory was in effect through 9 a.m. this morning for most of Mississippi, including Lincoln County.

NWS also issued a hard freeze warning through noon Wednesday. According to the NWS website, a hard freeze warning means that a dangerously cold air is expected. Exposed plumbing is in danger of freezing, and exposed pets and livestock could be harmed.