Northeast Frigid Spell Has Begun, But Will Really Intensify By Saturday

Steam rises from Lake Champlain at Burlington, Vermont
during a sharp cold wave a few winters ago.
Similar scenes are likely this weekend. 

Yesterday, in Burlington, Vermont, it was the first cooler than normal day since January 24, ending a 17-day stretch of consecutive mild days.

This morning, I awoke in St. Albans, Vermont to a temperature of 5 below. It was a bone chilling 23 below over in Lake Placid, New York.


Burlington also had its first zero degree reading of the winter. Pretty late for the first one, but there you go.

The well-advertised cold wave has begun, but this is just a preview. We're still expecting the Big Chill to really descend on us tonight and last through the weekend, into Monday morning.

Wind chill warnings are up for most of New England and New York. After a warm winter, we're not used to this.

By this, I mean wind chills easily in the minus 20s, minus 30s even minus low 40s, especially Saturday afternoon, Saturday night and early Sunday morning.

High temperatures Saturday in northern New England will probably start the day just above zero, then slowly fall below zero during the day.

Saturday is going to be a truly awful day. The Arctic cold front that will bring this chill will have dropped anywhere between an inch and six inches of snow across the North Country. Winds gusting to at least 30 mph from the northwest will blow that snow around, and make it feel just brutal.

It really will be like living at the North Pole.

Saturday night looks totally brutal. Temperatures will all into the teens below zero across most of northern New York and northern New England. There will be a few 20s below as well. Winds will stay strong, so the wind chill is going to be a nightmare.

It might make it to 30 below in the Adirondacks.

The strong winds will drive the cold air into the southern New England cities. I wouldn't be surprised if Boston and New York have a rare subzero reading early Sunday morning.

Sunday looks frigid, too, but at least the wind will die down in the afternoon. After another subzero night Monday night, the cold wave will be over by afternoon. It will be in the 20s during the day Monday.

So, a couple of tips to get ready for the weekend:

Home Heat: Make sure there's enough fuel in your home furnace to make it through the weekend. Running out of fuel can make the house cold enough to freeze your pipes very quickly.

The Car: Keep the gas tank full in the car, too. It will start better with a full tank. Make sure the car battery is in good shape, too.  

My dog Jackson enjoys the outdoors last winter.
He won't want to stay out much during this weekend's
cold snap, and it would be dangerous to let him. 

Allthough trust me, even the most winterized car won't start that well in such cold temperatures.

If your car does start in this weather, there's no need to let it run for a long time before you drive off. With most cars nowadays, you only need let it run for a minute or so before you drive it in this weather.

You might want to leave a blanket, extra clothing and snacks in the car too, in case it stalls and you're stuck out there in this weather.

Your Neighbors: Give your elderly friends, neighbors and relatives a call or two this weekend, too. They're particularly susceptible to the cold, so you want to make sure they're OK.

Your Pets: Your dog will need to go outside and do his or her business no matter what the weather is, but it will be best not to let them linger outside too long. Yeah, pets are furry, but they still get dangerously cold in this weather.

Postpone your romp in the dog park until maybe Monday. And whatever you do, don't leave your dog or other animal chained up outside in this weather. Even if there's a dog house out there. That's just cruel, And dangerous. Please be kind to your furry companions.

Pro tip: A warm dog or cat is a great companion to have sleeping on your lap in these cold waves.

Your Weekend Plans: You'll also want to cancel that outdoor cross country ski excursion or ice skating party or snowboarding blast Saturday. It doesn't take long to get frostbite and hypothermia in this kind of weather.

Wait until Sunday afternoon, or better yet Monday when things get toastier.

Besides, it's Valentines weekend. If you've got a honey, just keep snuggling with him or her.

Weird, frustrating winter that it's been, the big warmup continues Tuesday as a storm rolls up the coast, and quite possibly tracks inland over New England.

It's uncertain exactly what will fall with this, but there's an excellent chance that any snow that gets going Monday night or Tuesday morning will change to mixed precipitation or rain Tuesday afternoon, even in northern New England.

This Tuesday forecast, I'll caution, is still EXTREMELY iffy. It could stay snow, it could be almost all rain, it could be an ugly mix. Just stay tuned for this one.

After Tuesday, another blast of cold air looks like it might envelop New England again, but that colder spell the middle and end of next week won't be anywhere nearly as frigid as the one now at our doorstep.