Boston is in for perhaps the first truly bitterly cold week of this winter, according to National Weather Service predictions, but expected to remain untouched by the severe winter storms hitting millions across the U.S.

“We’re actually looking at a pretty dry week overall, but the big story is going to be easily the coldest air we’ve seen thus far this year really across a good part of the Commonwealth,” said NWS Lead Meteorologist Andrew Loconto. “We’ll also see some gusty winds accompanying that cold, so it’s going to feel even colder.”

In Boston, the week is forecasted to begin with chilly temperatures, according to the weather service, with highs in the upper 20s and lows in the teens through Wednesday.

Winds are expected to hit the city hard throughout the early week, with gusts up to 33 miles per hour on Wednesday, according to NWS forecasts. Wednesday is expected to be the coldest day of the week, Loconto said.

“Daytime wind chills starting Tuesday, you may get to like the single digits above zero,” Loconto said. “Which I know we’ve certainly seen colder, so this isn’t necessarily like record breaking cold, but it is, without question, the first real shot of winter cold that we’ve seen thus far.”

The windchills should not reach a dangerous level with any advisories or warnings, Loconto said, but Bostonians should be prepared for “prolonged period of cold weather.”

On Thursday, the high is expected to reach 30 degrees and the low forecasted in the 20s, NWS forecasts show. By Friday, temperatures should moderate more, with highs expected to reach the high 30s through the weekend.

The U.S. is also seeing a major winter storm systems hit from the Midwest across the Ohio Valley and the Central Plains into the mid-Atlantic states Sunday and travel eastward to the mid-Atlantic coastline through Monday night, forecasts show.

Snow and ice from that the system blanketed major roadways in nearly all of Kansas, western Nebraska and parts of Indiana, where the state’s National Guard was activated to help any motorists who got stuck.

“Here we will see just some increase in clouds, at least for the Commonwealth, and other than that it should just be a dry period overall,” said Loconto. … “That’s what we can expect regarding that storm system, which is to say, really nothing at all.”

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After dodging the storms, Loconto said, the Boston region may see some precipitation going into the weekend.

“Our next chance for precipitation may not really appear until the weekend, like Saturday, Sunday,” said Loconto. “There’s still a lot of unknowns with that at this point, but that looks to be our next best chance for precipitation. It’s hard to tell if it’s anything significant, or if it’s just going to be just some passing rain or snow showers.”

Enrique Davila crosses the street with his dog, Chula, as heavy snow falls Sunday in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)