Frigid temps take over final week of 2017

A gentle snow falls Tuesday afternoon at Oakalla Bridge west of Greencastle, the beauty of the scene belying the frigid conditions all around. Temperatures hovered in the single digits for much of the day.

Banner Graphic/JARED JERNAGAN

After granting the wishes of millions for a white Christmas on Monday, Mother Nature wasted no time getting right down to the business of winter on Dec. 26 with frigid temperatures throughout the day.

While continued snow flurries made for idyllic winter scenes on Tuesday, the mercury took a nosedive.

The high for Tuesday was 18 degrees, recorded at Greencastle Middle School at 12:01 a.m., with temperatures dropping into the single digits by mid-afternoon.

Overnight Tuesday, the National Weather Service projected a low of 1 degree.

The rest of the week is forecast to play out in similar fashion, minus the white stuff. Gray skies but likely no precipitation are the order of the week, with mostly cloudy or partly sunny projections throughout.

Wednesday’s high of 11 is set to drop to 3 degrees overnight. On Thursday, the high is projected at 22, with a low of 11 overnight.

Friday’s high of 23 is projected to again drop to 11 overnight, with a 50-percent chance of snow showers returning that night.

At least this holiday weekend should come with less treacherous travel conditions than last, as only on Saturday is there any snow predicted at this time — a 20 percent chance.

And how will we be ringing in the New Year? Probably not with backyard barbecues.

On New Year’s Eve, the overnight low is projected to be around 3 degrees and 2018 will begin with a partly sunny day and a high near 17.

So while you’re taking that cup o’ kindness for Auld Lang Syne, you might also order a hot cocoa.