weather.com meteorologists
An arctic cold front will blast through the Northeast with some of the coldest temperatures and wind chills in years but will leave almost as fast as it arrives.
This will be a dramatic change on the heels of what has been one of the warmest Januaries on record.
When Will The Cold Arrive?
This arctic cold front will sweep out of the Great Lakes Thursday into the Northeast Thursday night into Friday morning.
The coldest air and strongest winds will be in place over the Northeast from early Friday through Saturday afternoon.
How Cold Will It Get?
Temperatures
Friday's coldest high temperatures will be in the interior Northeast from northern New England (daytime temperatures stuck in the single digits above or below zero) to central and western New York into western Pennsylvania (daytime highs in the teens).
Overnight lows Friday night and Saturday will be frigid. Subzero cold is likely over much of New England and New York state north of New York City.
Daily record lows are possible Saturday morning in southern New England, the New York City metro area and parts of upstate New York.
Boston's Logan Airport could plunge below zero for the first time in five years Saturday morning.
Lows in New York City could match those in the days before Christmas over a month ago.
In general, computer model forecasts suggested the magnitude of this cold is what you would typically expect once every 10 years.
(MORE MAPS: 10-Day U.S. Forecast Highs/Lows)
Wind Chills
It's not just cold temperatures.
Brisk winds ahead of, and behind, the cold front from late Thursday through Saturday afternoon will produce dangerously low wind chills.
Wind chill watches have been posted by the National Weather Service for much of New England, eastern New York and far northeastern Pennsylvania from late Thursday into Saturday evening. Dangerous wind chills are possible in those areas.
Wind chills may reach the minus 50s or 60s Friday night into early Saturday over northern New England. According to the National Weather Service, Caribou, Maine, hasn't measured a wind chill in the minus 50s in 35 years. Those wind chills could be near all-time records, according to data compiled by UNC-Asheville meteorology student Evan Fisher.
Wind chills at the Mount Washington Observatory in northern New Hampshire may bottom out in the 90s below zero Friday night and early Saturday. That could lead to frostbite on any exposed skin in less than a minute atop the 6,288-foot peak, according to a forecast written Wednesday morning by the observatory staff meteorologist Ryan Knapp.
Wind chills in the minus teens and 20s are expected Friday night into early Saturday in southern New England and upstate New York. Some subzero wind chills could also plunge into New York City, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
Minimize any time outdoors during the peak of this cold Friday and Saturday. If you must go out, cover as much exposed skin as you can, dress in layers, let someone else know when you're leaving and where you're heading, and have a winter survival kit in your vehicle.
It Won't Last Long
If you're not a fan of extreme cold, we have some good news: This is about as short-lived a cold snap as you can get this time of year. The cold will already start to ease Saturday night.
Except in areas near the Canadian border in northern New England, Sunday morning's low temperatures will be similar to the highs from Saturday.
By Sunday afternoon, highs in the 40s should push into southern New England, the Hudson Valley and points southward. Our extended forecast shows generally above-average temperatures re-establishing themselves in the East through the middle of the month.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
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