Winter Storm Hercules Live Blog: Latest Updates

For many cities east of the Rockies, the first week or so of 2014 will feature additional shots of bitter cold Arctic air diving south from Canada.

The chill will continue what has been a miserable winter so far for many in the north-central states.International Falls, Minn. – already known as the "Icebox of the Nation" – reached the 30s below zero eight different days in December, setting a new December record. It was their second coldest December on record. On Thursday morning, the city set a daily record low temperature of 42 degrees below zero.

Let's take a look at where the worst of the cold weather is heading late this week and preview next week's frigid air mass.

Frigid Finish to the Week

Friday AM Lows

Friday Highs

The core of the cold air mass will focus on parts of the Midwest and Northeast as we close out the week.

(MAP: Current Wind Chills)

Friday morning, lows will be in the single digits and teens below zero in parts of the Upper Midwest and northern New England. Lows in the single digits and teens above zero will be common in the Mid-Mississippi Valley, Ohio Valley and the I-95 corridor of the Northeast.

Areas from Boston to New York and evenPhiladelphia will probably see highs in the teens on Friday, while single-digit highs will dominate areas just to the north and west. Subzero highs will grip much of northern New England and the Adirondacks.

Friday night into Saturday morning, lows will plunge into the single digits in the New York City area and will fall below zero around Boston. Farther north and inland, widespread lows of 10 to 30 below zero are expected.

(COLD SPOTS: Montpelier, Vt. | Berlin, N.H. |Presque Isle, Maine)

(WATCH: How to Avoid Frostbite)

Yet Another Blast of Bitter Cold...

Monday AM Lows

Monday Highs

Another shot of very cold air will arrive this weekend and expand into early next week.

This will once again send temperatures 25 to 40 degrees below average across a broad swath of the Midwest by the start of the next full workweek.

Places near the Canadian border in North Dakota and Minnesota may see a return to highs in the teens below zero, with a few places possibly failing to warm above -20 Sunday and Monday.

Minneapolis may see lows in the -20s on Monday morning. Chicago's high temperature Monday may fail to warm above zero for the first time in almost five years. 

The crunchy-cold conditions are likely to expand southeast into the Ohio Valley and Northeast by the middle of next week. Morning lows Tuesday may dip below zero at least as far south as the Ohio River, if not even farther south.

Lows in the single digits and teens above zero will invade parts of the South.