RI Weather: Wind Chill Plummets Into 20s Next 2 Days

A freeze watch has started to pop up as temperatures plummet below freezing over the next 48 hours. Temperatures late Wednesday night into Thursday morning - and again Thursday night into Friday morning - are expected to fall to the mid-to-low 30s, and the dreaded wind chill will make it feel like its in the low 20s for many.

The freeze watch is for the northern part of Rhode Island. It will be in effect from late tonight into the morning. It'll do more than just kill vegetation - it'll mean you need to bundle up on your way to work.

"A sweeping cold front" is the culprit, the National Weather Service wrote Wednesday morning. It should rebound into the 50s by Friday.

Wind gusts into Thursday could be as strong as 45 miles per hour. There will be a wind advisory for the Cape & Islands, where the winds are expected to be the strongest. As always with strong gusts, isolated power outages are possible.

Providence-area Weather Forecast

Wednesday - Increasing clouds, with a high near 63. West wind 9 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 33 mph.

Wednesday night - A slight chance of showers between 11pm and midnight. Partly cloudy, with a low around 34. Northwest wind 13 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Thursday - Sunny, with a high near 47. Northwest wind 11 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 39 mph.

Thursday night - Clear, with a low around 32. Northwest wind 5 to 7 mph.

Friday - Sunny, with a high near 56. Southwest wind 6 to 10 mph.

Friday night - A slight chance of showers after 2am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 49. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Saturday - A chance of showers after 7am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 61. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Saturday night - Partly cloudy, with a low around 42.

Sunday - Sunny, with a high near 50.

Sunday night - Mostly clear, with a low around 31.

NWS Boston images