The coldest air of the season, a very impactful winter storm, and lingering snow are all on the table as part of an active seven-day forecast.

While the Valley has woken up to temperatures in the mid-teens, they will fall throughout the day on Friday as a strong area of high pressure funnels arctic air into our region. Wind chills will be below zero for the entire day, and thermometer lows overnight will graze the negative single digits. Wind chills as we wake up on Saturday could be as low as the negative teens.

If the arctic blast wasn’t enough, the strong winter storm we’ve been tracking will finally progress towards our area. Get any and all errands and travels done on Saturday, because while bitterly cold, it will be a much calmer day compared to Sunday. Highs on the first day of the weekend will be around 10 degrees.

The winter storm will finally bring snow into our area early on Sunday morning. It will move in from South to North anytime between 1 and 7 am. After the first flake falls, snow will be continuous and heavy at times throughout the entire day. While trends have nudged the storm further north, our area is still firmly expected to be mix-free. Steady snow for this long a time will make road clearing a very tough job for crews. Travel during this day is strongly advised against unless deemed necessary.

The snow will exit on Monday, with the chance of wraparound lake-effect flurries. Once this is all set and done, a good 8-12 inches of snow could fall from this storm. This would be the largest accumulating snowfall in at least four years, and could rank as a top ten one-day snowfall on record, thanks to the strength and favorable timing.

After the snow, temperatures will stay well below freezing. Highs in the mid-teens from Tuesday until Thursday will be almost 20 degrees below average. Low-end snow chances will allow for additional accumulations on a snowpack that will show no signs of diminishing until at least mid-February.