ShopRite saw a lot of shoppers on Friday in anticipation of the arctic blast.

MOOSIC, Pa. — It is already cold across Northeast and Central Pennsylvania, but it is set to be much colder this weekend. 

The parking lot at ShopRite in Moosic was full of shoppers on Friday. Shoppers rushing in and out of the store were bundled up in their top winter style as many anticipate being inside most of the weekend.

 “We’re going to be inside this weekend. I’m looking for fish sticks today. I’m getting ready for Lent. We’re getting ready for football also,” shopper Robert White said.

Not everyone can stay indoors this ‘super-cold’ weekend. Shopping cart retrievers have to manage through it. Anthony Malinak says he’s prepared for the colder air. “I’ve got a hoodie on and a jacket on top. I’ve got my hoodie up and my beanie on. I kind of just deal with it.”

Malinak tells Newswatch 16 that management encourages him to take breaks inside. He wants to encourage people to return their carts to the correct areas to make his job easier. Shopper Tony Cianfichi agrees. “I worked at grocery stores as a young kid, and I always would chase down shopping carts. I won’t [leave my cart] in weather like this. Definitely not,” Cianfichi said.

Temperatures will be in the single digits all weekend, but it will feel colder due to the wind chill factor. The good thing about Friday is that the winds weren’t blowing too hard.

“The wind chill makes it brutal because you have to dress in layers, and sometimes you don’t have enough layers to put on,” Cianfichi said

So how does wind chill work? Our bodies emit heat from our heads down to our toes. The jackets we wear keep that heat in, but the wind tries to take it away from us. 

With single-digit temperatures and the winds, we’re expecting it to feel 20 to 30 degrees below zero this weekend.

On Saturday, actual temperatures will be in the single digits, and wind gusts could exceed 40 miles per hour. That is where the cold becomes dangerous. Frostbite on exposed skin sets in as quickly as 20 minutes in those conditions.

Sunday will see lighter winds, but temperatures will still be cold enough to cause issues for skin.