After not much snow, frigid air is moving in

By Melissa M. Werthmann, Globe Correspondent

Most Bay Staters only saw a few flakes of snow Tuesday, but a rush of frigid air is on its way and will certainly make it feel like winter, according to the National Weather Service.

Boston got barely a trace of snow, but other parts of New England received a few inches, said meteorologist Nicole Belk.

“Southeast Massachusetts was minimal,” Belk said. “Totals ranged from all rain to a few tenths of an inch.”

Central and western parts of the state got a trace of snow up to an inch and a half, she said.

About 1.4 inches of snow fell on Worcester and nearly two inches in the Blue Hills, Belk said.

Northern Rhode Island got 2 to 3 inches of snow, while northern Connecticut got about 1 to 3 inches, she said.

As December approaches, temperatures are expected to drop below normal during the rest of the week, Belk said.

There will be mostly cloudy skies this afternoon, and temperatures will be near 40 in the city.

“We still have a chance of light rain or snow in some places, but for the most part it’s just going to be some clouds this afternoon,” she said. Temperatures tonight will dip into the 20s.

Thursday will be mostly sunny with highs in the low 40s.

“It’ll be really chilly Thursday night,” Belk said. Interior Southern New England, near Fitchburg and Orange, and areas west of Worcester will have to brave nighttime temperatures in the teens, she said. Boston temperatures will drop to the mid-20s.

Friday will be partly sunny, but temperatures in Boston will only get as high as 36.

Friday night will be frigid yet again. Much of Massachusetts will see temperatures in the mid-teens to low 20s, but it will be a bit warmer along the coast, Belk said.

Saturday will be cloudy with temperatures in the high 30s.

Bay Staters can probably shed the extra blanket by Saturday night, as temperatures will be much warmer, Belk said. It will be in the mid-30s in Boston.

“We’re expecting some cloud cover, so that’s going to help keep the temps from falling,” she said. “When we have those clear skies and light winds, we really start to see those temperatures plummet.”

There is a chance of showers Sunday as temperatures climb into the 50s, forecasters say.