The National Weather Service (NWS) is forecasting extreme cold across the region beginning Thursday night and lasting into Friday morning. Dangerously cold wind chills of 10 to 25 below zero are forecast as overnight lows drop into the single digits to several degrees below-zero with sustained northwest winds of 20-30 mph and gusts of up to 60 to 65 mph possible Thursday night between 8 PM and 4 AM.

Accumulating snow is forecast starting Friday night into Saturday morning. Snowfall totals could reach 1-3 inches along the coast and 3-6 inches across interior New England, with up to 8 inches possible over high terrain such as the Berkshires. Snow is expected to change over to rain during the day on Saturday.

Impacts:

Impacts related to extreme cold may include:

• Potentially life-threatening wind chills
• Frostbite and hypothermia possible for those without proper protection from the cold
• Possible increase in fires from alternative heating sources or people trying to thaw frozen pipes with blow torches
• Possible carbon monoxide poisoning from alternative heating sources
• Possible vehicle failure
• Possible water main breaks and pipe bursts