The weather in the wake of the large Nor’easter will be the coldest in at least the last decade in Southern New England. The temperature dropped to near zero Thursday night away from the coast during the storm, but it will be even colder Friday night as skies clear. Friday will begin with lingering snow that tapers to flurries by mid-morning. The snow will end by midday in RI and interior SE MA, but may linger on Cape Cod into the afternoon. It will be a windy and bitter day, with highs in the single digits to low teens, and wind chills below zero.
The temperature will tumble below zero in many spots by late Friday evening. The wind will gradually diminish, but wind chills could be -10 to -20 for a time early in the evening. The temperature will bottom out between 0 and -10 in most of Southern New England before dawn Saturday. Record low temperatures are possible Friday and Saturday. The last time the temperature fell below -2° in the Providence area was in January of 2004. The last time it was below -6° was in 1984. We expect a low temperature of near -6° in Providence on Saturday morning.
The temperature will bounce back pretty nicely over the weekend. Saturday should be in the mid to upper 20s with partly sunny skies. It looks like a decent day for sledding. Sunday will be even better, with highs in the upper 30s to low 40s under partly to mostly cloudy skies.
The next storm in the forecast is likely to bring rain and temperatures in the 40s. The rain will begin before dawn on Monday. Strong southerly winds are possible if the storm cuts well west of Southern New England. If that happens, the temperature may even reach the 50s. Rain will continue through most of Monday. Much colder weather will move in behind the storm. It will be in the teens on Tuesday, and 20s on Wednesday. The wind will be active, making it feel even colder.
