Massachusetts residents are bracing for the arrival of an arctic front that is expected to send temperatures plunging below zero, accompanied by snow and dangerous wind chills over the weekend.
Thursday will begin with more mild conditions, with high temperatures of 30 degrees for Boston and Cape Cod & the Islands and highs in the upper 20s in Central and Western Massachusetts. Thursday night will see lows of 12 degrees in Boston, 6 degrees in Worcester and zero in Springfield.
Temperatures will rebound Friday, settling in the mid to upper 20s throughout most of the state.
Friday night brings a chance of snow showers, though the National Weather Service projects little to no accumulation.
Snow could continue into Saturday in some regions, with Boston, Worcester and Cape Cod & the Islands potentially in line to receive 1 to 3 inches. Western Massachusetts should miss out on any new accumulation.
Saturday night will bring an arctic front that will cause temperatures to plummet across the state. Boston will hit a low of 2 degrees Saturday night, and wind gusts up to 33 mph could push the wind chill factor as low as minus 16 degrees.
Worcester is forecast to dip to minus 2 degrees on Saturday night, while Springfield will drop to minus 4 degrees and Cape Cod & the Islands will bottom out at 10 degrees. Wind chill readings will be well below zero in all regions,
The National Weather Service has issued an Extreme Cold Watch for Berkshire County from Saturday evening through Sunday afternoon, as the wind chill is expected to reach minus 35 degrees.
The National Weather Service warns that such conditions can cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes, so anyone going outside should dress in layers, including a hat, face mask and gloves.
