Bitter Cold Weekend Ahead As Wind Chills Could Drop Below Zero
BOSTON (CBS) - Perhaps you may have forgotten what REAL winter weather feels like in New England? After 30 straight days of above average temperatures in Boston (the second longest such streak in recorded history), we FINALLY got a below average day on Thursday, albeit just 2 degrees below average.
Let's face it, we haven't had to endure any significant, bone-chilling cold yet this winter. We had a little bit of a chill in mid-December when Boston recorded 7 straight days below average, but even then, the coldest it ever got was on the 16th with a high/low of 30/16 degrees. Typically, by now, we have several nights with lows below 10 degrees. And, 2002 was the last time it took this long to have a daily high temperature below 30 degrees.
In short, this winter has been weak. Lame.
In a typical year, this coming weekend's forecast would be par for the course. This year however, it is making headlines and will surely feel unlike any other stretch we have had thus far this winter. No, it isn't a blizzard or a nor'easter - this weekend we have some good old fashioned wind and cold coming. Before you go out and buy the bread and milk, let's keep this in context. This weekend's temperatures won't be anywhere close to record cold (Boston will be about 20-30 degrees milder than any sort of low temperature records). But, given what we have experienced in the last month or so, it will be a bit of a shock to the system.
So what are we talking about?
Well, it all starts Friday night with the passage of a cold front. After a fairly mild January day on Friday, the cold front will usher in MUCH colder air along with a few snow showers and squalls in the evening. Temperatures will drop from the 40s Friday afternoon to the 30s by evening and into the 20s by Saturday morning. Add in an increasingly gusty wind and "feels-like" temperatures will range from the single digits west of 495 to the teens along the coast.
That will essentially be the story Saturday - winds gusting 25-to-35 mph (a few spots up to 40) and wind chills hanging in the teens.
Saturday night and Sunday morning will feature the worst of this mini cold shot. Overnight we anticipate actual air temperatures to drop to anywhere from 10-to-15 degrees on average. Combine that with continued wind gusts topping 30 mph and you get wind chill values in the -5 to 5 range for most of our area by early Sunday morning.
There is very little improvement expected on Sunday. Daytime highs will be stuck in the 20s and wind chills remain in the single digits and teens.
Sounds like a great weekend to watch some football! Now why can't we get guys like that Tom Brady?? Sorry, stick to weather.
One final note on this weekend's cold - the air will also be exceedingly dry. Heat the inside of your homes and it will feel like a desert. So if you've got a humidifier, spark it up!
STORM NEXT WEEK?
Lastly, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention next week's storm potential in this blog. After all, we are finally talking about some real winter weather, might we see some snowfall to go with it?
Well snow lovers, sorry to disappoint, but at this moment it looks like another near miss, or at best a grazing.
Snowfall thus far this January has been historically low. In fact, we haven't had this little snow in the first three weeks of January since 1986! Just 0.3" of snow thus far in Boston in what is typically the second snowiest month (February being first) in Boston.
So, I suppose ANY snow on Monday night or Tuesday would be a novel concept this month. Problem is, the mean storm track appears to be too far to our south for much meaningful or plowable snowfall (right now). It is quite possible that we could be facing another week of January weather boredom.
But alas, we have been lulled to winter sleep many times before only to be rudely awakened. As you all know weather in New England can change in an instant. Even though it may feel like winter has barely arrived, it is still far from over.
Follow Terry on Twitter @TerryWBZ
