BOSTON – Dreaming of one white Christmas? WBZ issues a NEXT weather alert as a clipper system is expected to bring scattered snow showers to Massachusetts on Tuesday, Christmas Eve.

Arctic cold wave

First things first: A veritable blast of arctic cold air has spread across the region, with freezing wind temperatures below freezing, and is now the opening act for the last full week of the year.

In several areas, morning lows were even colder than Sunday.

Monday will be another cold day with wind chills in the single digits to mid to upper teens. Milder sea temperatures continue to provide cool conditions on the Cape and islands. However, as Monday comes to a close, conditions will become even more wintry as a fast-flying clipper ship from Alberta heads into southern New England just before sunrise.

When does snow start in Massachusetts?

After another night of freezing temperatures and low 20s, cloud cover will begin to form and snowflakes should fall within an hour of sunrise on Tuesday.

On the way to work or traveling on Tuesday? The strongest impacts are expected to be felt from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Most activity dies down around midday, with some storms occurring after that. Remember to bundle up for outdoor activities on Christmas Eve as the wind will still be dangerously cold.

How much snow will there be in Boston?

Extensive snow cover of up to 1 inch (2.5 cm) is forecast for Massachusetts over the next 24 hours.

There will only be isolated coverings in the areas around the Cape. Western Massachusetts and areas of north central Massachusetts have the best chance of breaking a 1-inch snowfall. Individual spots can be 2 to 3 inches in total with this fast system.

Keep in mind that the National Weather Service’s definition of a white Christmas means there will be at least an inch of snow on the ground where you live by 7 a.m. on Christmas morning.

Boston hasn’t had a white Christmas in 15 years. But the city took up 5.2 inches There will be a lot of snow on Friday and sub-freezing temperatures mean there won’t be much melt before Christmas morning.

The maximum temperature on Christmas Day is 31 degrees. On the first night of Hanukkah, temperatures drop to 25 degrees and the sky is mostly cloudy.