Hour-by-Hour Forecast: Deep Freeze Descending On Hudson Valley

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous outlook for the mid-Hudson just because of what's headed into the region from the Arctic Circle.

A bitterly cold arctic air mass will filter into the region Thursday night and last through the upcoming weekend. The combination of brisk winds and very low temperatures may prompt the issuance of wind chill advisories, mainly for higher elevations Thursday and Friday night.

Temperatures start dropping as the sun sets Wednesday and struggle back into the high 20s midday Thursday. By Friday they won't be able to struggle out of the teens even at noon with the sun shining.

And then there's the wind chill factor.

Gusty winds starting Thursday will help wind chill values drop. By 6 a.m. Friday morning they will drop below zero in Orange, Putnam, Rockland and Westchester counties and could go as low as 4-6 degrees below in Dutchess and Ulster counties, the NWS predicts.

Actually, blame Canada for the very, very cold air flowing in behind Tuesday's weak snowstorm.

Here's the five-day forecast for western Dutchess County from the NWS:

• Wednesday night - Mostly cloudy. Cold with lows in the lower 20s. North winds around 5 mph.
• Thursday - Partly sunny in the morning, then clearing. Cold with highs in the lower 30s. Temperature falling into the upper 20s in the afternoon. Northwest winds 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph.
• Thursday Night - Mostly clear in the evening, then becoming partly cloudy. Much colder with lows around 7 above. Northwest winds 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph. Wind chill values as low as 3 below.
• Friday - Mostly sunny. Colder with highs around 18. Northwest winds 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 30 mph. Wind chill values as low as 4 below in the morning.
• Friday Night - Mostly clear. Cold with lows around 3 above. Northwest winds 10 to 15 mph. Wind chill values as low as 2 below.
• Saturday And Saturday Night - Mostly clear. Cold. Highs in the mid 20s. Lows 5 to 10 above. Wind chill values as low as zero.
• Sunday - Partly sunny. Cold with highs in the mid 20s.
• Sunday Night - Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of snow. Not as cold with lows around 20.