Forecasters: Bitter cold temperatures to give way to possible snow ahead of Christmas

The first days of winter have brought frigid weather to the region, with a temperature of 17 degrees Sunday morning, climbing to just 25 degrees later in the day. Skies should remain clear and sunny all day.

On Sunday night, the temperature will drop to 13 degrees, forecasters said.

These cold days haven’t broken any records, though. "We just aren’t acclimated to it yet," said Bill Goodman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Upton. "This is completely normal for December."

Monday is expected to be sunny but a littler warmer, with a high of 34. There’s a 30% chance of snow early Tuesday, beginning after 1 a.m. That becomes a slight chance of rain after 1 p.m.

The weather is expected to shift to clouds Tuesday afternoon before skies gradually clear, with a high near 40 degrees, according to the NWS. On Tuesday night, the low should be about 25.

The weather should warm "up a little bit to the low 40s on Tuesday," said James Tomasini, another meteorologist with the NWS.

That early precipitation expected on Tuesday could wind up being a rain-snow mix, he said, but "as far as any accumulation or totals, anything would be really light right now," with perhaps a coating or a few tenths of an inch of snow. 

Christmas Day is expected to be mostly sunny. "I wouldn’t call it the Fourth of July," Goodman said, but it’ll be warmer than the previous few days, "in the upper 30s near 40."

Thursday and Friday are expected to be a bit warmer still, with a high of 41 and 44 under partly sunny skies.

With Brianne Ledda