BOSTON (WHDH) - A frigid Thanksgiving forecast has the potential for record cold temperatures across the region as well as even colder wind chills in one of the coldest holidays on record.
Worcester set a record early Thursday morning with a low temperature of 7 degrees, breaking the previous mark of 11 set in 1987.
Highs on Thursday will be in the teens and 20s, with subzero wind chills across northern New England, including Massachusetts.
“We’re talking dangerously cold wind chills,” 7Weather meteorologist Jackie Layer said. “Please make sure to wear plenty of layers for any of those outdoor plans.”
With temperatures expected in the low teens and wind chills as low as 5 below zero in most areas during the morning hours, many towns and cities opted to reschedule their annual Thanksgiving football games to Wednesday night to ensure safety for everyone involved.
A wind chill advisory has been issued for parts of Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, and Berkshire counties. The bitterly cold wind chills may result in frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes, the National Weather Service warned.
Temperatures will climb into the low 20s by 2 p.m. but it will only feel like 5 degrees with the wind chill. Temperatures will drop back into the teens by 6 p.m.
“When you factor in those winds, it will actually feel like single digits and subzero at times,” Layer said.
The record high in Boston on Thanksgiving is 24 degrees and the low is 11 degrees.
Conditions won’t warm up much for the Black Friday shopping rush with a high of 29 degrees in the forecast.
Fortunately, the cold spell won’t last.
The weekend will bring considerably warmer air as temperatures will near 50 degrees on Saturday and Sunday.
For more on the forecast, visit the 7Weather page.
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