Cold snap with single-digit wind chills to grip New England this week
Remember, wind chill is measured on exposed skin, so as long as you’re bundled up, it’s fine to be outside.
For many this will be the first full work week in a while and that may not feel so great. And not to pile it on, but if you don’t like the cold, it’s definitely going to feel like January in New England.
The biggest weather story this week is going to be the wind chills and while the temperatures will be in the typical range for this coldest month of the year, the wind will make it feel a lot less comfortable and you’ll definitely need to bundle up if you head outdoors. Gusts could reach up to 20 miles an hour today in the Boston area.
During most of the week, readings are going to stay in the upper teens to near 20 over inland and higher elevations and in the mid- to upper 20s along the coastline — about 10 degrees below average each day. At night, temperatures are going to remain quite cold because the wind won’t fall off that much.
Wind chills will be in the single digits each morning and perhaps will even fall briefly below zero for some areas with stronger gusts.
Remember, wind chill is measured on exposed skin, so as long as you’re bundled up, it’s fine to be outside. There won’t be any wind chill advisories or warnings. It’s simply not that kind of cold.
In terms of sky conditions, there’ll be some afternoon cloudiness today from the south and there could even be a couple of snow showers along the south coast. The big Mid-Atlantic snowstorm stretching from Colorado to Maryland and DC is tracking south of New England and will not impact us.
Causing this frigid cold air in our region is an Arctic air mass being pulled into the Northeast as the jet stream sinks to the south. New England is not seeing the same influence from the polar vortex that has helped strengthen the winter storm pounding the Mid-Atlantic and East Coast farther south from us.
It’s fairly unusual to get so many days in a row with the wind being a factor. We will see a brief break today from the wind, but it’s going to pick right back up again by tomorrow.
Temperatures should moderate above freezing by Friday, so this is not a prolonged cold snap. Otherwise, look for partly to mostly sunny skies the rest of the week with generally partly to mostly clear skies at night.
On Sunday, the high of 34 and the low of 28 was exactly average, but the afternoon temperatures were about 4 degrees lower and the overnight temperatures about 4 degrees higher.
If you’re wondering about snow or stormy weather, our next chance comes this weekend. The models are still all over the place on whether a storm will impact New England later Saturday or Sunday. It’s possible we have a snowstorm or it’s possible it moves completely out to sea and we don’t see anything besides a few clouds.
It’s going to take a few more days for the forecast to solidify in one direction or another, but it is something for us to watch.
Finally, if you’re someone who’s not a fan of winter, we are gaining daylight at both ends of the day and increasing daylight by nearly 10 minutes this week.
Monday’s breakdown
Southern New England: Look for some afternoon cloudiness and cold temperatures. Winds will be light but increase overnight. Temperatures will stay under freezing today and tomorrow.
Western Mass.: Plenty of sunshine with a few afternoon clouds and temperatures in the lower 20s today but only in the upper teens tomorrow with more wind and wind chills near zero.
Cape and Islands: Look for cloudiness and perhaps a brief flurry over the islands. Temperatures will be around 30. Look for readings near freezing tomorrow with a gusty wind.
Northern New England: Look for mostly sunny skies and light to moderate winds today with more wind tomorrow. Temperatures will be in the teens to lower 20s.
Sign up here for our daily Globe Weather Forecast that will arrive straight into your inbox bright and early each weekday morning.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com