I've just been out with the dog this morning; the easterly wind that has sprung up overnight really is bitterly cold, very strong and cuts through you like a knife. If you don't have to go out today, don't; if you absolutely have to, put on extra layers. I've never known it so cold.
I imagine the wind must come directly from the Russian Steppes; all I know is that I was frozen solid in the Urals area.