Sub-Zero Temperatures Return: How Long Freeze Will Last

MARLBOROUGH, MA — The good news is it's going to be a dry, sunny weekend. The bad news is it's going to be dang cold.

Temperatures will plunge below zero with the wind chill after midnight on Friday and will stay that cold until Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. This is the third stretch of sub-zero weather to hit the region over the past two weeks.

The core weekend days will be warmer, in relative terms. Saturday's high will be in the mid-20s near Marlborough and Framingham, and then up into the 30s on Sunday.

If you're going to take advantage of sunny skies and go skiing this weekend, northern New England will be much colder. Temperatures in the towns around the White Mountains will have a high of minus 17 degrees on Friday evening. Northern Vermont will be much the same at minus 9 degrees. Weekend days will be in the teens in those states.

There will also be a wind chill advisory in effect for Western Massachusetts through Friday morning.

Here's the near-term outlook for MetroWest from the National Weather Service:

• Friday: Sunny, with a high near 19. Wind chill values as low as -7. North wind around 8 mph.
• Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 4. Wind chill values as low as -5. North wind around 7 mph.
• Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 23. North wind 5 to 7 mph.
• Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 11. Calm wind becoming southwest around 6 mph after midnight.
• Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 31. Southwest wind 5 to 8 mph.
• Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 15. West wind around 5 mph.