A shelter in East St. Louis opened its doors Thursday as a respite from the cold as metro-east expected temperatures to sink to 8 degrees overnight into Friday.

That would be the coldest temperature recorded in the area in two years, according to the National Weather Service. Thanks to wind gusts of up to 30 mph, it will seem a lot colder. The wind chill factor is expected to reach 10-15 degrees below zero.

On Friday the high is expected to reach 26 degrees and skies are expected to be mostly sunny. But things will warm up a bit over the weekend and into next week with a high of 42 on Saturday, 43 on Sunday and 52 on Monday.

The Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood House in East St. Louis opened Thursday as an overnight shelter for the needy to escape the cold.