New England is bracing for a slippery trip Friday night — and bitterly cold temperatures this weekend.

While it won’t be a blockbuster snow event, it will lead to ice accumulation across much of the region, followed by a blast in the Arctic this weekend. As we head into the holiday week, several weather disturbances could bring additional chances for snow and rain.

A snowy Friday

An energetic disturbance triggers an offshore storm on Friday. The brunt will miss New England, but onshore winds interacting with cold air will lead to snow accumulations.

Timing:

• Afternoon and evening: The snow areas continue to fill and become more consistent in the late afternoon/evening. Expect rain at times across southeastern Massachusetts to Cape Cod.
• Late evening and overnight: Areas of snow and mixed precipitation will turn to snow as temperatures fall from north to south.
• Saturday morning: Lingering snow showers disappear early.

Snowfall totals:

• Eastern Massachusetts: 1-3 inches
• North and West of Boston: There may be some localized ocean effect bands resulting in an isolated 4-inch accumulation.
• Cape Cod and South Shore: Coating of 1 inch and in some isolated areas up to 2 inches.

Effects:

• Slick roads will occur Friday afternoon with coverage increasing throughout the evening and overnight.
• Early Saturday morning it may still be slippery in places, especially if untreated.

Arctic blast this weekend

The coldest air of the season arrives Saturday evening, bringing biting winds and freezing temperatures that will last into early next week.

Saturday:

• Temperature: Expect 20 degrees far north of Boston, dropping to single digits at night. South of Boston, temperatures reach 30 degrees during the day and drop to 10 degrees at night.
• Wind: The northwest wind increases and increases the cold. At night, wind chills will drop to near or below zero across much of New England.

Sunday:

• Temperature: Maximum temperatures of 10 to 15 degrees are expected in the northern part of the state, while 20 degrees could be reached in the southern part. Overnight lows below 0°C could indicate frozen pipes in poorly insulated buildings, particularly in northern New England.
• Wind: Wind chills will reach single digits south of Boston. Temperatures will be below zero in northern New England, and some areas may experience wind chills as low as -10 degrees.

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White Christmas?

During the holiday week there will be a variety of snow and rain showers across the region, particularly on Tuesday – Christmas Eve:

• Precipitation: Accumulating snow is expected across northern and central New England. Rain could be seen mixing with snow in southern New England.
• Timing: Specific details will become clearer over time, but in many areas there is a good chance of a white Christmas.