Hard to believe we reached 70 degrees at BWI only last Thursday. The low this morning was 13 degrees, just before 7 a.m. That's well short of the record of minus-4 degrees, set on Jan. 18, 1957, but cold enough, thank you very much.

Monday's high was just 28 degrees, a peak reached just after midnight. The daytime high was just 26. Believe it or not, it was only the fourth day with a high below freezing since our meteorological winter began on Dec. 1. And January is still averaging 10 degrees ABOVE normal.

The strong high-pressure system over the eastern half of the nation is drawing bitter cold into our region, and the cold will likely continue for the next 10 days. It's also very dry. But that will begin to change tomorrow. The forecast calls for the first of a series of weak weather systems to zip by us along the jet stream. The first, during the day on Wednesday, is expected to drop 1 to 3 inches of snow the area. Another, on Inauguration Day, will deliver just a dusting. And there's a chance for more snow on Saturday and Sunday.

None of this looks very threatening. But it will look wintry enough out there, and the cold and wind will keep our furnaces throbbing.