PRINCETON – After a week of biting cold temperatures across Massachusetts, skiers and snowboarders hit the slopes of Wachusett Mountain Sunday evening, celebrating what some said feels like old times.

Coldest week in years

“It’s a blast! You’ve got to dress right, but it’s pretty good,” said Brett, a snowboarder at the ski resort. 

This past week was one of the coldest weeks New England has seen in years and the harshest week of winter thus far, kicking off with several inches of snow in much of Massachusetts.

“Compared to what we saw last year, with the freeze-thaw cycle, hot cold and all the rain and what not, it’s definitely starting to feel like a true New England winter now,” said Alex Arcangeli, Wachusett Mountain’s lift manager. “So, we’re seeing a lot of guests come out. They’re excited to ski, excited to get some fresh snow.”

Prefer skiing in colder weather

Some people told WBZ-TV, they actually prefer skiing in colder temperatures.

“Honestly yeah. Because you get really hot,” said Bre, a guest at the resort.

“Once you get on the slopes, on the hills, you start to warm up for sure and it becomes more comfortable,” said another guest.

Instead of traveling to a beach far away from New England to celebrate his birthday, Vinnie Timauro told WBZ-TV he opted to hit the slopes instead. “I think that this is the most fun way to do it. It’s better than being locked up inside.”

According to these guests, finding ways to stay warm is just part of the fun experience on the mountain. 

“You do a couple runs, then come down, hang out with some friends by the fire.” said Brett, a snowboarder on the hill.

A crash on Interstate 495 in Lawrence, Massachusetts, Sunday seriously injured two people, one of whom has life-threatening injuries, state police said.

The highway was temporarily shut as a medical helicopter was flown to the scene, at mile marker 100, after the crash was reported about 9:30 a.m., police said.

One person, identified only as female, was taken in that helicopter to a hospital in Boston with life-threatening injuries, while a woman was rushed to local hospital with serious injuries, according to police.

They were investigating what led to the crash.

While we had a bit of a break from the wind last week, that’ll change as we usher in a new work week in Massachusetts.

Saturday was chilly and a bit breezy, but the wind will kick back up on Sunday. What’s interesting is high temperatures will actually be pretty mild in the mid to upper 30s, but when you factor in the breezy conditions it’ll still only feel like the mid to upper 20s.

Otherwise, we’ll have more clouds in the morning than in the afternoon.

Monday will be similar but even windier. Morning lows will drop to the mid to upper teens with afternoon highs in the low to mid 30s. Skies will be bright throughout. However, gusts will top 25 mph at times so it’ll feel about 10 degrees colder than it really is.

Tuesday morning will be in the mid to upper 20s. It’ll already be windy in the morning, and at the same time we’re tracking a chance for some snow squalls. Those are short bursts of very heavy snow that can reduce visibility significantly. The rest of the day will be dry with highs in the mid to upper 30s, but again with a whipping wind it’ll feel significantly colder.

Wednesday we are still tracking a potential Alberta Clipper system which is an area of low pressure that originates from over Alberta, Canada. They typically bring pretty light snowfall totals, and this one is particularly moisture-starved so it won’t be too much of a troublemaker. Highs will reach the mid 30s.

After the Clipper system comes the next outbreak of Arctic air. Thursday and Friday, highs will only get to the 20s with lows in the single digits and the teens. However, with breezy conditions still it’ll feel close to zero degrees in the morning and only in the teens during the warmest part of those days. At least the sun will be out.

Saturday morning will still be frigid but the afternoon will make it back into the 30s.