An arctic front is poised to deliver bitterly cold air to our area Thursday and Friday. The cold air will stick around into the first part of the weekend as a storm system moves by to our west Saturday into Sunday.
Today will feature mostly cloudy skies with isolated showers this afternoon and into tonight. The rain may mix with snow north and west of I-95 as we head into the evening hours but no accumulation is expected. Highs will top out in the mid 30s in the mountains to low to mid 40s elsewhere.
Tomorrow will be mostly sunny and chilly, with highs around 40. The arctic front will pass through tomorrow night with winds increasing and temperatures dropping through the night. Temperatures will not move much on Thursday, perhaps rising a few degrees from Wednesday night’s lows. Expect highs in the single digits to low 10s in the mountains and mid 20s elsewhere. Northwest winds will gust to near 35 mph, dropping wind chills to dangerous levels.
The core of the cold air takes hold Thursday night, with lows dropping to near 0 in the mountains and low to mid 10s elsewhere.
Friday will remain cold, with highs in the 10s in the mountains to mid 20s elsewhere.
The cold air will begin to retreat on Saturday as a storm system approaches from the southwest. The storm will start to spread precipitation into our area late Friday night into Saturday morning. At first, temperatures will be well below freezing, supporting a wintry mix. The mix will transition to rain during the late morning to early afternoon hours, with the usual colder areas taking the longest to transition. Temperatures will rise into the mid 40s state-wide by Saturday afternoon and stay in the 40s throughout Saturday night.
The rain will taper off Saturday evening as the low pressure system pulls away, but rain chances will increase again on Sunday as it’s associated cold front pulls through the state and drops temperatures once again. Before it does, temperatures will likely surge into the 50s to near 60 but will tumble Sunday night and only push into the low 40s for highs on Monday.
Here is this morning’s GFS, from 7pm Friday to 7pm Sunday for reference:
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