Temperatures Drop In Mass. As Arctic Cold Blast Moves In

State officials say they'll be monitoring dangerous cold and wind chills over the President's Day weekend.

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency is encouraging people to wear proper clothing outside to prevent the Arctic air from causing frostbite and hypothermia. The agency is also warning of carbon monoxide dangers from alternative heating sources and cautioning against using blow torches to thaw frozen pipes.

WBUR's meteorologist David Epstein's told our Newscast Unit that overnight there may be a few snow showers, but the weather will be mostly cloudy and bitterly cold.

Temperatures in Boston are expected to be around minus 5 degrees, Epstein said, with temperatures around Worcester slated to be around minus 10 degrees. Wind chills will bring the lows down to 20 to 30 below zero overnight.

The National Weather Service is also forecasting below zero temperatures throughout the region Saturday night, with wind chills that could make it feel 35 below in some places. Winds could gust up to 45 mph inland and 50 mph on Cape Cod.

Keolis, the company that operates the MBTA's commuter rail system, says it might leave some locomotives running overnight to minimize cold weather equipment problems.

With additional reporting from the WBUR Newsroom