Central Massachusetts should be "preparing for some serious cold weather beginning on Sunday night and continuing for the next ten days or two weeks," according to Jim Arnold, weather specialist with Shrewsbury Emergency Management Agency.
Following the big chill, there will be a brief relaxing of the cold before it reloads and returns for another lenghthy spell that could last into February, said Arnold.
He points to two snow threats on the horizon: one working up the coast from the Virginia Capes and the other is ready to track off the coast and spare this area a major snowfall.
"I am expecting nothing more at this time than 1 to 2 inches in and around Central Massachusetts, if that much," said Arnold. "The second threat will be from a storm off the southeast coast, which will work its way toward southern New England about Friday or Friday night of next week. This has not formed as yet and its track is an educated guess, but it could track closer to us and also be a more robust system. This could produce more snow for us and a wintry mix along the coast."
But back to the cold spell. The core of it, said Arnold, will come in on Monday night, and the middle of the week will be "brutally cold."
"It is likely that some back yard temperatures in the usual cold spots could be in the range from 5 to 10 below zero," said Arnold, and in some of the deeper valleys to our north and west temperatures could approach 15 below zero. The last week of January could also be as cold as we have seen in years."
