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Temps tonight to flirt with zero

E-mail|Link|Comments () December 17, 2009 05:29 PM

David L. Ryan/Globe Staff

Fantasy clashed with reality this morning as pedestrians on Commercial Street in Boston hunched against the cold.

By Michaela Stanelun, Globe Correspondent

Just when you thought it was safe to remove some of those layers -- the National Weather Service says temperatures will plunge tonight to near zero in the suburbs and maybe even dip a little below that.

"I think it's going to flirt with around zero," said meteorologist Charlie Foley.

The season's first blast of arctic air will probably make tonight the coldest night of the season so far, he said.

The temperature at Logan International Airport reached 22 degrees this afternoon, but the wind made it feel colder. In Boston tonight, the mercury could drop to about 8 degrees, he said.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino declared a "cold weather alert" for the city, urging residents to check on elderly and disabled neighbors and to be careful with portable heaters.

The good news? Temperatures will likely reach the upper 20s Friday and the wind will abate.

"So that will take some of the bite out of the whole deal," Foley said.