Unseasonably cold air arrives late next week

Enjoy the mild and “warm” air while we have it, because things take a polar plunge heading into the end of next week.

Temperatures drop gradually throughout the upcoming week, with cooler air arriving on the heels of a low pressure system that will pass through the area Monday, resulting in highs right around 30F for Tuesday. The sun will be out though! Yay!!!!!!

Wednesday will be slightly warmer ahead of an arctic cold front that will plow through the area Thursday morning, with highs reaching into the low 30F’s. It’s all downhill from there, with highs in the upper 20F’s to around 30F Thursday, and around 20F Friday and Saturday.

By next Sunday, highs will likely be in the teens across a majority of the area! Average temperatures for January, not late November/early December!

Overnight lows next weekend are going to be bone chilling, in the single digits. 8F for a low Friday night, 5F Saturday night and 7F Sunday night. BRRRRRRRRRRRR

By early the following week, temperatures may begin to rebound somewhat, but I certainly wouldn’t hold my breathe on that…the upper level pattern may have other things in mind.

The jet stream will be taking a major dip south by weeks end, with a persistent trough of low pressure stationed south of Hudson Bay. These features tend to sit and spin in the same location, sometimes for weeks on end, resulting in a continuous flow of arctic air into the heart of the United States.

With that said, a pattern more typical of late January into February looks to take hold next week! Better have that heavy jacket, scarf, hat and gloves at the ready!