“We have another shot of arctic air coming in here later Friday and Saturday. … It’s going to be very similar to what we saw” Tuesday, said Hayden Frank, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Norton. “It may be a little bit windier, so wind chills may actually be lower late Friday night into Saturday morning.”
Saturday will remain very cold, with a high in Boston of about 15 degrees and a low temperature that night around 8 degrees, before highs rise into the 30s again Sunday and remain there for the next few days, forecasters predicted.
The coming warmup, however short-lived, will be a welcome return to normal for area residents, who faced bitter cold Tuesday as the wind chill in Boston dropped to as low as 13 degrees below zero.
Motorists and pedestrians in downtown Boston were told Tuesday to avoid the section of Milk Street between Broad and India streets because a water main broke around 6 a.m. Subfreezing temperatures were the likely cause of the break, which resulted in water surfacing on the roadways, according to Tom Bagley, a spokesman for the Boston Water and Sewer Commission.
The work continued into the evening but was expected to be completed before the night was over, Bagley said.
“We’re in the trench now, trying to put the section together, and hopefully have the water online by about 8 o’clock this evening,” he said shortly after 6 p.m. He said workers would begin restoring the roadway on Wednesday, Bagley said.
A wind chill advisory was in effect until 4 p.m. for portions of Worcester, Franklin, Hampshire, Middlesex, and Hampden counties, as wind chills plunged to nearly 20 below zero.
“The cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes,” the advisory said. “Use caution while traveling outside. Wear appropriate clothing, a hat, and gloves.”
It was 13 degrees at Logan International Airport at 1:54 p.m. Tuesday, and the wind chill was negative 3 degrees. In Fitchburg the temperature was 11 degrees at 2:52 p.m. and the wind chill was negative 2 degrees.
At the Mount Washington Observatory in New Hampshire, the temperature dropped to 30 degrees below zero, frigid enough that a weather observer there was able to freeze a dish of spaghetti with a fork hovering inches above the plate, suspended by frozen noodles. Posted to Twitter, the image had been shared 400 times by evening.
The frigid temperatures made travel more dangerous, and Massachusetts State Police reminded people to be prepared before venturing outdoors.
“Motorists should make sure they have adequate gas, charged phone & blankets/extra jackets in case they break down & have to wait for help,” State Police tweeted. “Also-it’s against law to keep pets tethered outdoors in these conditions. Pls don’t leave them in a parked car either.”
Students at the Cambridgeport School at 89 Elm St. in Cambridge had to be evacuated and put on buses Tuesday morning as firefighters put out a small fire at the school.
“Students have been relocated to @MBTA & city school buses to shelter from the extreme cold,” Cambridge fire officials tweeted. “Students not picked up here will temporarily relocate to the HS field house.”
Emily Sweeney can be reached at emily.sweeney@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @emilysweeney. Jeremy C. Fox can be reached at jeremy.fox@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @jeremycfox.