Stinging Cold With Sub-Zero Wind Chill Temp on the Horizon

Well that wasn't so bad.

The first cold front passed this afternoon. If you are a keen weather watcher, maybe you noticed the change in the air. It became drier and (obviously) colder: we dropped from near 40 to the 20s in a few hours.

The next front isn't so friendly. It will usher in the coldest air we've seen since that ice-cream-headache cold on Valentine's Day. If you forgot how silly-cold that was, our high only made it to 12 in Boston...with a low of -9. Ayuh.

Yep. This is mid-winter bitterness. And we've even gone so far as to say "dangerous cold". Overstated? Step outside on Friday morning and expose your bare hands to that Siberian air. Won't take long for them to turn colors and force you inside.

Speaking of run-and-hide cold, we may be christen a few new records on Friday morning. Boston's record low is 1 and Worcester's is -2. We'll be close.

The turnaround is another headline-worthy event. From the moment we bottom out on Friday morning until Sunday midday, we'll be warming. In the day, in the night and all hours in between. It comes with a mess though. Saturday starts with snow (to the tune of 2-4" in Southern New England and 4-8" Northern New England), then a turn to mix and rain. It's ugly, but it's the only way to get this bitter air out of here.

Then on Sunday, paydirt. We'll catapult to near 60 in some spots before a front comes crashing in to bring us back to December reality. If you've taken that new math, you'll realize that's over a 60 degree turnaround.