Let’s get some expectations-setting out of the way right off the bat: the cold this week will be fierce, long-lasting, and will rival (if perhaps not break) existing records, particularly record low highs by mid-week. Most models suggest that by the time we drop below freezing mid-to-late afternoon Monday, we may not recover above the freezing mark again for another 7-10 days! The duration of this cold will be remarkable. Lastly, though this cold will be profound and extended in nature, it may not offer that much in the way of snow for those hankering for high totals, but it will bring us -- for sure -- at least some measurable snow!
Before its arrival, and dependent on the exact hour the front moves in, we could see temperatures well into the mid- (to perhaps upper-)50s, briefly by late morning Monday. By early afternoon, however, temperatures will begin to drop dramatically as the front itself races through the region. We may see a brief period of rain showers by early-to-mid afternoon, before temperatures crash below freezing any precipitation quickly turns into snow, with a slight chance of some freezing drizzle possible at the outset.
