Christmas weekend looks to be very cold.
An artic air mass is expected to sweep across Pierce County and the southeast over the holiday weekend.
A hard freeze is likely Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.
Angie Enyedi, Senior Meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Jacksonville, FL, says temperatures are likely to dip as low as the upper teens or low 20s Friday. According to the forecase, sub freezing temperatures will continue Saturday and Sunday. Highs Saturday and Sunday will struggle to reach 40 degrees.
“It will be the coldest two consecutive days of the entire year Saturday and Sunday,” Enyedi said.
Residents are encouraged to prepare for the cold weather by protecting people, pipes, plants and pets Friday and over the weekend.
While the weekend looks to be extremely cold, it doesn’t look now like it will be record breaking cold, according to Enyedi.
The coldest Christmas on record in Pierce County occurred in 1983 when the low was 9 degrees.
Enyedi said snow is not in the forecast — just very cold weather.
Pierce County experienced a two inch snowfall a few days before Christmas in 1989.
