A wave of bone-chilling air will follow Saturday’s snowstorm , as a strong cold front pushes through the region, flipping our winds to a northwesterly flow and sending temperatures into a free-fall.
There’s a link to the polar vortex with this quick shot of Arctic air, dropping temperatures 20 to 30 degrees below average late Saturday and through much of Sunday. Surface high pressure will tug some of that unlocked polar vortex air down to the surface, plunging temperatures into the negatives Saturday night with wind chills reaching the negative 10s and 20s.
Sunday temperatures will only rise to the mid-10s across Greater Boston before the Arctic air moves on. Extreme cold alerts have been issued for portions of New England, where some wind chills may reach as low as negative 30 degrees.
Cold alerts are in place for nearly all of southern New England and spilling into areas up north. Make sure you’re limiting time outdoors, cover up as much skin as possible, and remember your pets, as frostbite at these wind chill temperatures may only take 15 minutes to set in.
Looking forward, after temperatures rebound slightly next week, more cold is expected later in February.
Cold snap setup — cold dome above our heads
The upper atmosphere will drop very cold air over New England this weekend.
A deep pool of Arctic air will hover over New England, reaching the surface Saturday night and lasting through much of Sunday.Boston GlobeTemperatures drop dramatically on Saturday evening and will stay cold through Sunday.Boston GlobeWind chills will drop into the negative 10s and 20s Saturday evening into Sunday morning.Boston Globe
Saturday ends frigid and windy
Highs on Saturday will reach the mid and upper 20s before crashing later in the day.Boston GlobeSaturday air temperatures will dip to near zero by 8 p.m.Boston GlobeWind chills Saturday night across New England.Boston GlobeCold alerts are in place from Saturday night through Sunday afternoon.NWS
Sunday — bitter start with winds calming later in the day
Wind gusts will range between 20 and 40 mph from late Saturday through the first half of Sunday.Boston GlobeWind chills across New England on early Sunday morning.Boston GlobeSunday morning air temperatures, not wind chills, will be in the negatives across much of Massachusetts.Boston GlobeHighs on Sunday will be held to the upper teens on Sunday.Boston Globe
How these wind chills compare to the record books
Before this Sunday, the lowest wind chill recorded this winter sits at minus-14 degrees for Boston. We should breeze past that mark by early Sunday morning.
The lowest recorded wind chill at Logan Airport sits at minus-41.56 degrees, set back in 1943.
Ken Mahan can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Instagram @kenmahantheweatherman.
