A big cooldown on the way with the season’s first sub-zero temperatures

The week is off to a blustery start as winds picked up out of the west Monday afternoon after the passage of a cold front. Winds will remain on the gusty side Monday night into Tuesday morning, then back off a bit through Tuesday.

Tuesday will be chilly, but typically cool for December with highs in the mid-20s.

Another, more intense, arctic cold front will move through the region Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. This one will be the coldest dose of air yet this season, and brings the potential of some minor snow accumulation Wednesday morning. Around a half inch, maybe up to an inch of accumulation is possible early Wednesday, and some roads may be slick.

Wednesday’s high temperature will occur early in the day and temperatures will fall into the afternoon. Temperatures at the beginning of the day will start in the upper teens, falling to the single digits by the afternoon. Wind chills Wednesday will run in the teens below zero through the majority of the day.

The coldest air from this arctic punch will be here early Thursday morning as temperatures drop into the single digits below zero. Wind chills will remain in the teens below zero to about 20 below zero to start Thursday. Thursday’s highs will stay in the single digits but the wind will back off through the day, helping to make that wind chill less extreme.

Temperatures will moderate this coming weekend with highs returning above the freezing mark by Sunday afternoon.