The coldest air in two years will take up residence in the Northeast for a couple more days before easing just a bit on Friday afternoon. Low temperatures Wednesday morning were in the single digits in most of Southern New England. The wind chill was -5 to -15 early in the day. Wednesday afternoon looks bright, but bitter. The high will only be in the mid to upper teens under mostly sunny skies. The wind will stay active, and wind chills will hover near zero.
Wednesday night looks even colder than Tuesday night was, with lows between 0 and 10 above zero. The Providence area should be 3-5 degrees colder than Tuesday night, with a low near 5. The wind will be lighter, so the wind chill won’t be much lower, but, even a light breeze can knock the wind chill below zero. It will stay frigid on Thursday. Highs will approach 20 near the coast and bay, but it will stay in the teens inland.
Thursday night will likely be the third straight with single digit low temperatures. Some inland locations may fall below zero by dawn Friday if the wind relaxes completely. Friday, although very cold, will not be as brutal as Wednesday as Thursday. Highs will be in the low to mid 20s with increasing late-day clouds.
Latest on Friday night into Saturday snow potential
The odds of a moderate to heavy accumulating snow in Southern New England Friday night have gone down since yesterday. Right now, it appears there will not be a strong connection between a disturbance over the Southeast and one moving through the Great Lakes until the system has passed well east of Southern New England. As a result, a weaker, more progressive storm system will move into the Atlantic Ocean well south of Southern New England.
Most computer models are forecasting less than 4″ of snow for RI and SE MA, and some bring nothing more than a few flurries. While it is still a bit early to slam the door shut on the chances of a significant storm, the forecast is for light snow or snow showers, with a light, fluffy accumulation. There is still a lot of uncertainty with this forecast, and an update will be issued later Wednesday, if necessary.
Snow showers may linger through Saturday morning, then Saturday afternoon and Sunday both look brisk and cold. Highs will be in the 20s, and lows will be in the single digits or teens. The stretch of colder than normal weather will last through Monday, with slightly milder weather possible in the middle of next week.
