MINNEAPOLIS — Fear of frostbite is keeping many students home today around Minnesota and has the National Weather Service warning people to limit time outdoors.

The arrival of arctic air has pushed wind chill readings down to 40 below across northern and western Minnesota.

The Anoka-Hennepin School District notified parents classes were canceled Thursday “due to extreme winter weather conditions in the early morning hours.”

Other districts canceling school include Little Falls, Osseo, St. Cloud and St. Francis. The Star Tribune reports in Elk River and Cambridge-Isanti, students will have an e-learning day, meaning instruction will be delivered online.

In the Austin area schools were two hours late or closed, which included Austin, Pacelli, Lyle, Southland and LeRoy-Ostrander school districts.

“Proper care should be taken to cover exposed skin and limit time outdoors,” the weather service said. “Frostbite could develop in as few as 10 minutes.”

Temperatures were expected to recover for the weekend with highs reaching 35 degrees on Saturday before dropping into the 20s most of next week.

— The Austin Daily Herald contributed to this story