HYANNIS – A wave of brutally cold air has settled over New England following this past weekend’s storm.
While the Cape and Islands experienced mostly rain after starting as snow late Saturday, other parts of the state picked up six to eight inches.
The temperature began to plummet Sunday afternoon as the storm moved away, dropping into the single digits on Cape Cod by early Monday morning.
Forecasters said the mercury wouldn’t rise above 10 degrees throughout the day, with wind chills at 15-below zero.
Hypothermia can set in to exposed skin in under 30 minutes with such harsh temperatures.
The frigid air is pouring in from Canada in the wake of the weekend storm.
Temperatures will begin to moderate on Tuesday as the arctic high pressure system slides off the East Coast.
Meanwhile, more active weather is forecast to reach the Pacific Northwest on Tuesday ahead of the next energetic Pacific cyclone.
The National Weather Service issued a gale warning and heavy freezing spray warning for the coastal waters.
Amtrak canceled trains across the Midwest and Northeast over the weekend, but promised full service would resume Monday. Boston’s transit system urged commuters to allow 10 to 15 minutes of extra travel time and warned of icy conditions for pedestrians come Monday.
Ferries between the Islands and Cape Cod were impacted on Sunday.
The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency encouraged residents to keep pets indoors, limit time outside, watch for signs of frostbite, check on neighbors and use alternative heat sources safely.
Forecast models show a rapid warming trend across the East Coast by midweek, but temperatures will plunge again leading into the weekend.
Over the weekend, more than 100 million people were under some form of winter storm watch, warning or advisory, and states throughout the East Coast were pounded by rain, snow and ice.
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