Clear skies, wind chills for First Night

By Lauren Dezenski, Globe Correspondent

First Night revelers can expect to ring in the New Year with clear skies and wind chills in the teens, the National Weather Service said.

By evening, temperatures will drop into the 20s but the wind chills will make it feel much colder, said meteorologist Bill Simpson, who advised revelers to be prepared for the chilly temperatures thanks towind gusts at 14 miles per hour.

In Boston today, temperatures will top 34 degrees, 5 degrees cooler than average temperatures for this time of year, Simpson said.

The first day of 2013 will see a dry arctic cold front sweeping east from Canada, Simpson said, keeping daytime highs in the 20s and overnight lows in the teens for the rest of the week.

Though the wind will contribute to a frigid chill, Simpson said “it’s not as cold as one would think.”

“[The cold] takes time to accliamate. It’s like the first heatwave of the year,” he said. “[The temps are] certainly not record-breaking by any means.”

Simpson compared the week’s lows, expected to bottom out Thursday in the lowers teens and upper single digits, with today’s record low of minus 8 degrees set in 1917.

Wednesday appears to be the coldest morning on the horizon, with wind chills putting temperatures in the single digits.

Those weary from digging out after this weekend’s storm need not worry. The rest of the week is “looking to be pretty dry,” he said.

Simpson also cautioned about venturing onto what appear to be frozen ponds.

“We will be below freezing from Wednesday on, but be careful on ponds,” he said.