Frigid temperatures and strong winds combined for life-threatening wind chills in North Dakota, but forecasters said the cold was not likely to break many records.

The only record-cold temperature that appeared threatened was overnight Thursday at the Grand Forks airport, where the actual temperature was expected to hit about 30 degrees below zero. The record for Jan. 14, set in 1994, was 29 below, the National Weather Service said.

Wind chills statewide Thursday night and this morning were expected to be as cold as 55 below zero, said Bill Abeling, a weather service meteorologist in Bismarck. A wind chill warning was in effect for the entire state.

"It's just extremely dangerous to be outside," Abeling said. "You can freeze in literally a matter of minutes."

Gov. John Hoeven urged state residents to be cautious. "With extremely cold temperatures and blowing snow, it is important that people take the necessary precautions when leaving their homes," he said.

In the Williston area, the overnight low was expected to drop to about 31 degrees, about 10 degrees warmer than the record low for the date.

Williams County extension agent Warren Froelich said the extreme cold is hard on animals, but ranchers know how to protect their animals.

"If you can get them behind a windbreak or corral to break the wind … it really helps," he said.

With feed, "as a rule of thumb, go up about 1 percent for each drop in temperature," Froelich said.

"I know some guys who went out and fed their cattle a little earlier in anticipation of the higher winds," he said. "When we have the high winds, cattle are reluctant to go out and eat."

David Jorgenson, who was delivering fuel to Bismarck service stations Thursday, said working outdoors in such conditions was not easy, but also not something that really bothered him.

"You work twice as hard when it's cold like this," he said. "It is North Dakota, so you just put up with it."

The weather service canceled blizzard and storm warnings early Thursday as the worst of the storm that hit Wednesday blew through the state.

"The highways, for the most part, are pretty clear," Mercer County Detective Stan Burling said. "I think overnight, the wind beat the snow down so it's pretty hard."

But, he advised, "Put on layers because it's definitely cold."

High temperatures today statewide were forecast to range from 15 below to 25 below.

"It won't be really until Sunday afternoon that we see a little bit of moderation," Abeling said.