Wintry chill blasts Triangle

"The coldest of the air arrives around toward midnight," said Chief Meteorologist Greg Fishel. "By morning temperatures will be about 25 degrees. With the wind chill, we could be in the upper teens."

Frigid air which moved into the U.S. from Canada, wrapped around the northernmost part of the country over the weekend, causing a dramatic drop in the mercury. Bismarck, N.D., was at 4 degrees with a wind chill of minus 14, while Minneapolis clocked in at 16 degrees with a wind chill that felt like minus 2.

Despite widespread sun, Tuesday's temperatures won't get much beyond the freezing mark. Highs could push toward 40 degrees, but it will feel like teens and 20s at times as winds occasionally gust up to 20 or 25 mph, Fishel said.

The mercury truly bottoms out, possibly dipping into the teens, Wednesday morning before beginning a gradual climb back to more seasonal norms by the end of the work week.