Coldest Stretch In A Year Coming This Weekend
BOSTON (CBS) - By late Friday morning temperatures were near 50 degrees in Boston and many spots in southeastern Massachusetts were over 50.
Check: Current Conditions | Weather Map Center | Interactive Radar
But if you thought this was the beginning of another mild stretch, think again.
Our famous New England weather proverb, "if you don't like the weather just wait a minute" is about to come true.
Cold, Arctic-like air is going to come screaming into New England on vicious westerly winds this afternoon.
Wind gusts will average about 20-to-40 mph across the region and top off over 50 mph in many unprotected locations.
This should be strong enough for some damage to trees and power lines and could create some dangerous travel at times this afternoon and evening.
After the winds begin to die down later tonight the story will become the cold air.
Temperatures will plunge tonight and go below freezing everywhere not long after sunset.
Winds will stay busy, averaging 10-25 mph overnight making the temperatures feel like they are in the single digits.
THE WEEKEND
Saturday will be a cold and blustery day. Afternoon highs will top out around 25-30 degrees with a stiff wind that will make it feel like it's in the teens.
Then a secondary cold front pushes through Saturday late afternoon and evening and the real Arctic air will pour in.
Saturday night, Sunday and early Monday will be our coldest stretch so far this season and likely the coldest since last January.
Temperatures Saturday night for the Patriots game in Foxboro will start around 20 degrees at kickoff and drop into the teens by the 4th quarter.
Winds will only be 5-10 mph but in those kind of temperatures even the slightest bit of wind can be brutal.
Sunday morning will likely dawn with the coldest readings of the winter.
Boston will bottom out around 10 degrees, but nearly all of the suburbs will be in the single digits, perhaps even a few isolated locations below zero.
There will be very little temperature recovery on Sunday with what we like to call "ineffective sunshine."
High temperatures on Sunday will only reach 15-20 on average, by far the coldest day in about a year.
Watch Barry Burbank's forecast:
MLK Day on Monday will start much the same, very cold, most locations in the single digits, but we will begin to rebound during the day, highs approaching 32 degrees.
You can follow Terry on Twitter at @TerryWBZ.
