ALBANY — Upstate New York is about to plunge into an arctic freeze.
A bitterly cold spell will descend on the Capital District and the Hudson Valley beginning Sunday, with the coldest temperatures predicted for Monday morning, according to National Weather Service meteorologists based in Albany. The below-normal temperatures will stick around for several days, with daily highs predicted to remain in the 20s early next week.
“In some cases, we are talking 10 to 15 degrees below where we should be this time of year,” NWS meteorologist Peter Speck said.
Arctic airflow is to blame. The Northern Hemisphere’s polar jet stream is unusually low in the hemisphere at the moment, sending waves of cold air to the mid-Atlantic region, the Ohio River Valley and the Midwest. The snow on the ground from recent flurries further cools the air by reflecting the sun’s rays, keeping days and nights extra chilly.
Temperatures are predicted to stay well below December averages in the coming days, especially if the region continues to see clear skies at night. Without clouds in the sky to act as insulation, any heat that accumulates during daylight hours will disappear in the night, Speck said.
For those heading out to school or work, Monday morning is expected to be the coldest for the foreseeable future. For much of the Capital District, temperatures will hover around 10 degrees. The Hudson Valley should be slightly warmer, with temperatures in Poughkeepsie and Hudson likely to range between 13 and 15 degrees. The northern part of the state, including the Adirondacks, is looking at zero and sub-zero temperatures.
The good news is that the cold spell is predicted to break by midweek, with more temperate days ahead of the Christmas holiday, meteorologists predict.
“By next Wednesday and Thursday, we should start warming up,” Speck said.