Arctic Blast To Bring Snow Squalls, Bitter Wind Chills Across MA: See Latest Forecast

MASSACHUSETTS — A brutal arctic cold front could bring heavy snow squalls and wind gusts up to 55 miles per hour on Thursday as the harshest weather of the season hammers Massachusetts with a piercing dose of winter.

The National Weather Service on Thursday morning issued a special weather statement calling for the cold front to move from northeast to southeast across the region on Thursday afternoon with wind gusts from 40 to 55 miles per hour.

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"A brief localized snow squall or two is possible mainly across western, central and northeast
Massachusetts," the NWS said. "While any snow squall will be short-lived and rather localized ... briefly very poor visibility and a quick coating of snow may result in hazardous travel."

What will be longer lasting is a shot of polar air that will drop temperatures into the single digits on Thursday night — with wind chills below zero — and keep highs in only the low 20s on Friday.

The weather should moderate a bit over the weekend with a chance of light snow late Friday night into Saturday, paving the way for sunny skies, calmer winds and a high of 38 degrees.

Sunday should be a partly sunny and seasonable day with a high of 39 degrees.

The bitter weather will return on Monday with a high of 26 degrees before a chance of snow on Tuesday night into Wednesday with a high of 34.

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)