Very cold and windy. NEXT Weather Warning for Arctic Blast on Small Business Saturday. Here’s the prediction.

Friday was cooler, but just a taste of the early season Arctic blast that will arrive this weekend and stick around for a while. This will be the coldest air of the season so far and the coldest the area has seen since March.

Due to this blast of cold air, a NEXT Weather Warning is in effect all weekend.

Despite the sunshine, highs on Saturday and Sunday will only reach the mid to upper 30s, which will be the coldest days since February of last year and well below the average high of 51 degrees for late November.

The cold will remain around freezing all day and night.

Speaking of nights, morning lows will drop into the 20s for the entire area, including the city. Be sure to winterize outdoor pipes and make special preparations for pets with a warm place to stay and fresh water that won’t freeze. Even with their warm fur, they are not used to this cold.

The month of December starts on Sunday and the meteorological winter begins. Next week looks sunny, cool, dry and persistently cold, with highs reaching the low 40s.

It will remain dry through the first half of the week, but a fast-moving system could bring some snow showers to the region by Wednesday evening, but at this point snow accumulation appears minimal at best.

Through the second half of next week and into the weekend, the cold pattern only looks to continue, if not double, with highs returning to the mid-upper 30s Friday and into the weekend.

Here you will find the current travel forecast so you can plan and prepare

• Saturday and Sunday will be the coldest of the season, with much of the area in the low 30s during the day and dropping into the low 20s at night.
• Wind chills will be in the teens and 20s throughout the weekend. It will also be changeable on both days with a mix of sun and clouds.
• Travel should be clear to everyone going home.

Here’s your seven-day forecast:

Saturday: NEXT Weather warning, cold, high 38, low 28.

Sunday: NEXT Weather warning, cold, high 39, low 26.

Monday: Frigid start, high of 41, low of 25.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, high 42, low 27.

Wednesday: Nighttime showers? highest of 40, lowest of 24.

Thursday: Clearing, high of 45, low of 34.

Friday: Mostly sunny, high 37, low 27.

NEXT Weather radars

Hourly forecast