Frigid air arrives tonight and sets the stage for weekend winter storm

Bitter cold air is building into the Northeast tonight. Wind chill values will be as low as the single digits by Friday morning!

At least there will be a plethora of sun tomorrow, just bundle up all day long. Winds will subside a bit throughout the day, meaning it will feel less harsh Friday night and Saturday.

Clouds will increase Saturday ahead of our winter storm. As of now, confidence is increasing for widespread snow, especially north and west of the I-95 corridor. The uncertainty still lies with the peak of intensity and the exact track of the storm – which will determine where the rain/snow line will set up.

Arrival times of precipitation could be as early as 8 p.m. Saturday evening for western Rhode Island. What will begin as snow may change to a wintry mix south and east of Providence as we head into Sunday morning. A gusty east wind will bring some warmer air off of the ocean and lead to sticking issues as well. Those gusty winds coupled with the heavier wet snow could lead to some spotty power outages. Travel is expected to be treacherous, and we are watching for refreezing roads Sunday night.

Looking ahead, we get a break from active weather on Monday and Tuesday before the next storm. Heavy rain and strong winds are possible by the middle of next week, so we will be watching for more power outages then, as well as potential river flooding due to the rain and added snow melt as temperatures will climb over 50 degrees.