After weeks of temperatures so low that coyotes are crossing Boston Harbor, the temps around the region will be taking yet another dive this weekend.

“When it’s this cold and snowy, you don’t want to be outside, you want to minimize your time outside and obviously stay warm,” advised National Weather Service meteorologist Matthew Belk. “And best place to do that’s inside.”

The weekend will see negative wind chills in the Boston area, along with periods of snow and freezing spray over coastal waters, according to NWS forecasts.

Temps are expected to start dropping heading into the weekend, with the arctic front set to arrive and bring “dangerous cold” Friday night.

During the day on Friday, it’s forecasted to be mostly cloudy and reach a high below freezing in the upper 20s.

Then Friday night, the low is expected to drop into the high teens as a chance of snow kicks in late in the night, forecasts show.

By Saturday, the chance of snow picks up, NWS forecasts, and winds are expected to turn gusty, with speeds up to 25 mph bringing brutal wind chills. The snow may continue through Saturday evening, followed by a low dropping near zero and potentially even stronger winds.

“There would be concern for some cold weather headlines,” said Belk. “We’re looking at low temperatures potentially in the Greater Boston area, five above if you’re in the Seaport district and maybe one or two below zero in metro west Saturday night. If you throw the wind chill on top of that, you’re into minus 10 to minus 15 degrees below zero.”

Snow accumulation is “looking like one to three (inches) through Saturday evening,” Belk said. With the forecast still days out, that may change, the meteorologist said.

High temps on Sunday are set to drop to the high teens, forecasts show, with clearer skies but gusty winds continuing to plummet feels-like temperatures.

February is also peak breeding season for coyotes, according to MassWildlife, meaning the animals may be more active and visible in communities throughout Massachusetts in the colder weather.

“Seeing or hearing more coyotes lately?” MassWildlife states of the breeding season. “You’re not alone. Late January through early March is the mating season for coyotes, and they become more active during this time.”

Related Articles

Southern US enters a second week of biting cold and prolonged outages

Boston Weather: Slight warm-up in temperatures incoming before another weekend arctic front

Nor’easter forecast for Massachusetts: Cape and Islands to see heavy snow, face strong wind gusts

Bomb cyclone forecast for Massachusetts: Cape Cod could face blizzard-like conditions

New cold snap adds urgency to winter storm recovery across the South

The state agency encourages residents to follow tips around the winter, including keeping dogs supervised on a leash as coyotes can be more actively territorial during the season, removing food like bird feeders or rodent-attracting trash from yards and neighborhoods, and “hazing” coyotes when they’re spotted by making loud noises or spraying the animal with water.

The presence of coyotes alone is “not cause for concern,” MassWildlife states, as negative encounters are rare and attacks on people are even rarer. Residents should call Animal Control or authorities if coyotes exhibit concerning behavior like approaching pets, following people or not running off when harassed.