Arctic Cold, Strong Winds To Hit MA: Warnings, Wind Speeds

MASSACHUSETTS — A burst of arctic air will blanket Massachusetts starting Friday, with gusty winds pushing temperatures to near -40 in some parts of the state, according to forecasts.

Friday will start off bitterly cold with temperatures in the mid-teens or lower across most of the state. At 10 a.m., rare wind chill warnings will go into effect across the entire state with winds pushing temperatures down to -30 between Worcester and Boston — ditto for the South Shore and Cape Cod.

The worst of the arctic air will hit areas like Fitchburg and North Adams with wind chills at -40 possible, according to the National Weather Service.

High wind gusts could reach 50 mph in Provincetown and Gloucester. Gusts will only be slightly weaker from Boston to all points west at between 35 and 45 mph, according to forecasts.

"In addition to the dangerously cold wind chills, strong winds will accompany the arctic air mass. Northwest wind gusts of 35 to 50 mph are expected Friday into Friday night. Any power outages would be a concern given the dangerous cold," the National Weather Service said.

Some communities are putting emergency plans in place during the severe cold snap.

South Station in Boston will remain open overnight Friday for anyone who needs shelter, and Mayor Michelle Wu advised any resident who sleeps outdoors or in a car to call 911. The Boston Centers for Youth and Family will operate several warming centers during the cold.

Worcester will open its first overnight warming center in years on Friday, offering shelter for residents until Saturday evening. Salem will also open a warming center, and Milford will open its overnight shelter, as well as a daytime warming center.

After the extreme drop in temperatures Friday, the state will see a relatively extreme rise in temperatures by Sunday. The forecast calls for highs in the low 40s across much of the state — which means some areas could see temperature swings approaching 100 degrees over the weekend.

Will we set a cold records? Here are the low temperature records for Feb. 2 and 3 going back more than 100 years in several locations in Massachusetts, according to the weather service:

Boston

• Feb. 2, -5 degrees, 1881
• Feb. 3, -5 degrees, 1881

Worcester

• Feb. 2, -10 degrees, 1961
• Feb. 3, -7 degrees, 1971

Beverly Municipal Airport

• Feb. 2, 3 degrees, 2005
• Feb. 3, 5 degrees, 2015

Otis Air Force Base, Falmouth

• Feb. 2, -9 degrees, 1961 (all-time record)
• Feb. 3, -1 degrees, 1955

Norwood Airport

• Feb. 2, -6, 2005
• Feb. 3, -10, 2015