Temps To Drop 30 Degrees: Timeline For Arctic Blast In PA

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Dangerously cold temperatures are on the way to the greater Philadelphia area this week, with temperatures plummeting to near single digits after weeks of unseasonably warm weather.

The brief but powerful surge of bitter weather will be sent sharply south from the Arctic, according to AccuWeather.

"A shift of the polar vortex will be at the heart of the brief cold blast in the Northeast," AccuWeather meteorologist Bernie Rayno said.

The air will hit the region late Friday, with temperatures dropping to around 10 degrees in Philadelphia and lower in the suburbs. The AccuWeather "real feel" will be as low as negative 12 in the region late Friday into early Saturday.

The Philadelphia area has seen temperatures 9.8 degrees higher than average in January, AccuWeather added. The differential from Thursday morning to Friday night in the region could be as much as 30 degrees.

It comes after the historic snow drought in the region finally came to an end overnight into Wednesday, as a third of an inch was measured in the city in the late night storm.

Here's the full forecast for the region:

Wednesday

Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 37. North wind 5 to 10 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon.

Wednesday night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 25. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm after midnight.

Thursday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 40. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Thursday night

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 30. Southwest wind 10 to 15 mph.

Friday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 32. Breezy, with a northwest wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Friday night

Mostly clear, with a low around 10. Blustery.

Saturday

Sunny, with a high near 26.

Saturday night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 24.

Sunday

Mostly cloudy, with a high near 44. Breezy.

Sunday night

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 34.