Typical January conditions will dominate the first half of the week, but extreme cold and the potential for a disruptive winter storm loom on the horizon.

Conditions are expected to worsen Thursday evening when an Arctic front crosses the state. This boundary will trigger more widespread snow showers and embedded snow squalls capable of producing a half to one inch of snow accumulation.

The next several days feature rounds of snow and potentially record-breaking cold, with an extended period of dangerously cold wind chills. Get the latest from the Fox17 Weather Ready team.

As the U.S. prepares to take on another bout of cold weather, the term "polar vortex" is getting thrown around. But what is it?

Massachusetts residents should savor the mild weather on Thursday, as an arctic cold front is set to hit the region over the weekend, followed by a “significant” storm on Sunday that could drop a foot of snow on the region.

Dangerous Arctic cold dominates the forecast starting later Thursday through the end of the week, with wind chills plunging to near 40 below zero at times.

Today’s Winter Storm Warning continues for Oceana, Muskegon and Ottawa counties (shown in pink on the map above), with Winter Weather Advisories stretching across most of the southern half of the Lower Peninsula.

"Right now across southern Wisconsin, we're expecting windchills between 30 and 40 below [zero] Thursday night into Friday morning, and then for Friday afternoon through Saturday morning, we're expecting them to be in the 25 to 35 below range," VanCleave said.