Tracking extensive cold before a flip to a more spring-like pattern next week

TODAY: Wednesday is an ABC17 Stormtrack Weather Alert Day. After measurable snow areawide, bitter cold fills in to keep that snow around. Temperatures will drop to the single digits Wednesday morning, with wind chills expected below zero. High temperatures only reach into the teens this afternoon, and with a breeze from the north around 5-10 mph, we'll feel subzero most of the day.

TONIGHT: The north wind ushers in the coldest air of the week, as deeper arctic air mass slides in from the north. This high pressure center will bring temperatures well below zero, but also calm our winds. This will be nice, as it will keep wind chill from becoming any more extreme than the -10° to -20° that we've been feeling the last few mornings.

EXTENDED: Thursday is another ABC17 Stormtrack Weather Alert Day, as the arctic high only begins to shift away by the afternoon. This will return south winds by Friday, so after a high in the teens Thursday, Friday will reach the 20s by the afternoon. We expect a complete pattern shift, with highs climbing through the 30s Saturday, 40s Sunday, and into the 50s for Monday and Tuesday. Long term signals indicate that this warmth may keep us above average most of next week.