Arctic air sets in for a blustery Tuesday. But this winter’s coldest days are just around the corner.
Just after sunset, the temperature in Boston fell below 32 degrees, and will remain there for the next day and a half as a brief bout of colder-than-average air moves into the region.
With fresh snow cover, temperatures overnight will fall into the teens. With the Arctic air in place, Tuesday’s readings will stay in the upper teens across the northwest hills and 20s elsewhere under mostly sunny skies. This is typical January cold weather. But the wind gusts will make it feel like it’s in the single digits during the morning commute and possibly reach the teens during the day.
Forecast wind chills for Tuesday across New England.Boston GlobeForecast highs on Tuesday will be much colder as a blast of Arctic air surges into the Northeast.Boston GlobeForecast wind gusts for Tuesday.Boston Globe
With calmer winds, Tuesday night readings will fall even faster, and many single digits will be on the map by Wednesday morning.
Wednesday-Thursday: Brief hiatus from the chill as milder air moves in
The good news is temperatures will rise to above freezing by mid-afternoon Wednesday on the heels of a Southwest zephyr.
A few spotty rain or snow showers on Wednesday night bring us to a mild Thursday with melting and temperatures near 40. But don’t get used to it.
Weekend: Deep cold sets in; watching our next storm
On Friday, Arctic air starts to work back into the region and readings go below freezing for an extended period of time, with the coldest air arriving this weekend. Exactly how cold it gets is still a bit of a question, but you can expect readings to be in the lower single digits, if not below zero at some point each morning.
This image shows successive blasts of Arctic air surging into the US for the rest of the month. This weekend’s air could be the coldest of the entire winter.WeatherBELL
Also, there’s the question of a major winter storm headed our way later in the weekend as well. There’s definitely going to be a large swath of rain and snow crossing the country at the end of the week. Whether or not this makes the turn and comes up into New England as a snowstorm is a big question that is unanswerable at this time. We need more days and more data before determining if we are sunny and dry or shoveling. Stay tuned!
People walk through snow-covered trees at the Arnold Arboretum on Monday.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe StaffThe 7-day forecast for the Boston area.Boston Globe
Greater Boston: Look for sunny skies with temperatures in the 20s Tuesday. It’ll be cold Wednesday morning, warming to just above freezing in the afternoon with sun and clouds.
Central/Western Mass.: Bright and blue skies, but temperatures will only be in the upper teens on Tuesday. Highs get into the upper 20s to low 30s on Wednesday.
Southeastern Mass.: Despite sunshine on Tuesday, readings will stay in the mid- to perhaps upper 20s farther south. It does get a bit milder on Wednesday as clouds move in and temperatures reach the mid-30s.
Cape and islands: Temperatures will stay in the mid-20s Tuesday afternoon with a bit of a westerly breeze and all sunshine. Wednesday features increasing clouds with readings approaching 40 in the afternoon.
Rhode Island: Sunshine dominates Tuesday with temperatures in the 20s. It’s in the upper 30s to near 40 on Wednesday with sunshine followed by increasing clouds.
New Hampshire: Sunshine blends with a few clouds on Tuesday with highs in the mid-teens. Readings reach the mid-20s with increasing clouds on Wednesday.
Waves of Arctic air as they push south into the US.Tropical Tidbits
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