If the temperature drops below 10 degrees today, it will be the first time since February 2007 that the temperature in Northeast Pennsylvania dropped into the single digits for five consecutive days.
The current cold snap set in on Tuesday, when the minimum temperature first reached below 10 degrees and got as low as 6 degrees, according to National Weather Service data.
So far the trend has continued, with a 2-degree low Wednesday, zero Thursday and 6 Friday.
The last time the temperature stayed so low for so long began Feb. 4, 2007, when it dropped to 6 degrees and continued to creep into the single digits at some point over each of the next four days, making a five-day streak of sub-10 temperatures, according to the weather service.
Part of the blame for the current streak belongs to Arctic air coming down from Canada that is "reinforcing" the cold air locally. And, for the time being, it is only going to get worse, said Brian Edwards, a meteorologist with AccuWeather.
"This northeast wind that's going to kick up (today) is going to make it feel like it's around zero most of the day," he said.
Though the flurries that began Friday afternoon were only expected to drop a slight amount of snow on the Scranton area, the cold will likely allow all of it to accumulate to about an inch or two, Mr. Edwards said.
The overnight temperature was expected to drop to about 8 degrees, Mr. Edwards said, but it seems like there may only be a few frigid days left.
It will still be cold, of course. But by Tuesday the temperature is expected to rise above freezing Mr. Edwards said.
Contact the writer: domalley@timesshamrock.com, @domalleyTT on TwitterFrozen numbers
ââ6 degrees Fahrenheit measured by the National Weather Service began current cold snap
ââ2007 last time temperatures were in the single digits for five straight days
ââ8 degrees forecast for Friday night