Worcester forecast: Below-zero temperatures, 43 mph wind gusts

Veer Mudambi, Telegram & Gazette
·2 min read
Dalina Boryszewski of Worcester braves the frigid wind chill at Quinsigamond State Park Wednesday to walk her malamute-mix Odin, 3.
Dalina Boryszewski of Worcester braves the frigid wind chill at Quinsigamond State Park Wednesday to walk her malamute-mix Odin, 3.

WORCESTER ― The National Weather Service has put out a wind chill watch from late Thursday night to Saturday afternoon, when it could feel as cold as 30 degrees below zero.

Though the weather is expected to remain clear, temperatures in the city are anticipated to drop as low as negative 8 degrees Friday night, with a high of 13 Saturday.

The temperatures could be even colder in the northern part of Worcester County.

The incoming chill has already prompted organizers to postpone the Downtown Worcester Winter Festival, originally planned for this Saturday, to Feb. 18.

The city announced that the Worcester Senior Center, at 128 Providence St., would operate as an emergency warming center from 8 a.m. Friday until 6 p.m. Saturday. The center will be staffed by employees of the Department of Emergency Management and volunteers from the Medical Reserve Corps and Community Emergency Response Team.

In addition, the city says its Quality of Life Task Force will "reach out to members of the homeless community leading up to the weekend to refer them to needed services."

The National Weather Service warned that the negative 30 wind chill could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes, and strong northwest winds of 24 to 29 miles per hour, with gusts as high as 43 mph, could result in power outages Friday afternoon and evening.

Relief will come quickly, with the high expected to rebound to 40 degrees Sunday.

Wind chills could reach 30 below zero in Worcester Friday night into Saturday morning.
Wind chills could reach 30 below zero in Worcester Friday night into Saturday morning.

The upcoming frigid weather follows what was the warmest January on record for Worcester, according to the National Weather Service. The average temperature for the month was 34.7 degrees, more than 13 degrees above normal. The previous record for warmest January was in 1932, when the average temperature was 33.8 degrees.

Last month was also the fifth-wettest January on record for Worcester, although the monthly snowfall (12.2 inches) was nearly 5 inches below average.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Wind chill watch in Worcester, National Weather Service says