NYC will have 'bitterly cold' Christmas weekend

NYC winter storm forecast

A cold front is bringing heavy rain and strong wind to the New York City area. Temperatures will plunge for the Christmas holiday weekend.

NEW YORK - After a milder-than-average autumn in New York City, winter officially began this week with an approaching cold front that will quickly become what forecasters call a bomb cyclone.

The winter storm is expected to bring strong wind and heavy rain to the New York City metro area through Friday and then leave behind dramatically plunging temperatures from Friday into Monday, which is the Christmas holiday weekend.

"The passage of the front will bring a very sharp drop in temperatures leading to a quick freezing of any wet surfaces," the National Weather Service said. "This could create very icy conditions with potentially hazardous travel."

Wind Chill Alert

'Bitterly Cold' Christmas Weekend

This could be the coldest Christmas in decades in the New York City area. Fox 5 Chief Meteorologist Nick Gregory said you should prepare for a "bitterly cold Christmas weekend ahead."

Dangerously cold wind chills will develop for Friday night and Saturday night, according to the National Weather Service. The wind chill factor will make the air temperatures feel like the single digits to well below zero.

Weather forecast

Well, it looks like it's going to be a very, very cold Christmas this year, but first we have to get through a heck of a winter storm that is expected to drop quite a bit of rain on our region tonight. FOX 5 NY's Nick Gregory has your weather forecast.

How cold will Christmas Eve be?

Fox 5's Gregory is forecasting a high of 19 degrees and a low of 13 degrees in New York City with a strong wind on Christmas Eve.

The wind chill factor will make Saturday morning feel around 8 degrees below zero despite the sunshine, Gregory said.

"The lowest wind chills will be felt Friday night into Saturday morning with prolonged exposure leading to frostbite," the National Weather Service said.