Potentially life-threatening cold and wind make for record-breaking temperatures
Boston went 9 degrees below-zero
New record lows were set as an Arctic air mass from the North Pole made its way through the region.
Watch: Frostbite danger warning / Watch latest forecast
The National Weather Service reported Boston at nine degrees below-zero, with the previous low set in 1934 at three degrees below zero. Providence recorded the same temperature low while Hartford and Worcester reach temperatures in the double digits below zero. Hartford recorded a temperature of 12 degrees below zero while Worcester recorded 16 degrees below zero.
"We haven't been this cold since 1957," said StormTeam 5 Meteorologist Danielle Vollmar.
Winds have also been gusty, creating wind chills that the National Weather Service described as "potentially life-threatening." Because of the wind chill, Bostonians are waking up what feels like 33 degrees below-zero. "It is a cold start folks, and it's actually dangerously cold," said Vollamr. "If you don't have to be outside right now, please don't."
Wind chill warnings were issued by the National Weather Service from 4 p.m. Saturday through 12 p.m. Sunday. The watch applies to all of Massachusetts, except Cape Cod and the islands. A wind chill advisory was issued for Cape Cod and the Islands from 6 p.m. Saturday through noon Sunday.
The high temperature in Worcester Sunday may only be 5 degrees, Chief Meteorologist Harvey Leonard said.
The frigid outbreak is the result of a phenomenon known as "sudden stratospheric warming," in which higher levels of the atmosphere warm and lower-level winds surrounding what is called the "polar vortex" weaken, allowing arctic air to be released southward.
StormTeam 5 is calling for a high temperature of only about 10 degrees on Sunday, which would be the coldest in over a decade in Boston. The last time it was that cold was on Jan. 15, 2004, when Boston's high temperature was only 8 degrees.
Wind chill values will drop to 20 to 30 degrees below zero at times this weekend. StormTeam 5 said that at those levels, frostbite can occur in as few as 10 minutes.
In addition to covering all exposed skin to prevent frostbite, this is a weekend to cover all exposed pipes and make sure furnaces are in working order. Running water a trickle and keeping cabinet doors open can also help keep indoor pipes from freezing.