We had rain and above-normal temperatures during Christmas week, which saved money on heating bills.

But it was short-lived.Unfortunately, unless you're a skier or ice fisherman, you probably won't like what's coming down the pike.Changes began this weekend with freezing rain and snow causing crashes Saturday.Sunday, temperatures rose to 50 degrees in some areas, melting the ice from the previous day.Later in the day the wind picked up, gusting overnight to over 40 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service.The wind is the prelude to a vicious cold front entering the Northeast which could drop wind chills to 15 to 20 degrees below zero for Wednesday and Thursday morning.Regional power outages were reported as a result, with 16 people reported without electricity in Lower Towamensing Township, 119 without power in Blythe Township and one West Penn Township home was left in the dark.The National Weather Service says we could have a coating of snow coming Tuesday. The snow could begin after 4 a.m. but little or no accumulation is expected until during the day when an inch or two might coat the ground.Next, temperatures are going to drop.Tuesday the highs will be in the 20s, Wednesday the temperatures will reach about 16, and on Thursday the predicted highs are 10 to 15 degrees.Add wind to those temperatures and it's going to be brutally cold.Wind chill values could be about 10 below during the day on Wednesday and 15 to 20 below zero on Wednesday night and Thursday morning.Remember to give your children adequate protection for bus stops and walking to school. Also don't forget your pets and that even animals kept outdoors might not be able to tolerate the harsh conditions.According to the National Weather Service, the heart of the arctic air that takes aim at our region late Wednesday and Thursday will be on par with the cold outbreak that we experienced last year in late January.Last year, on today's date, the overnight low in Allentown was minus-4 degrees, which set a record.The daytime high on Jan. 8, 2014, was just 8 degrees.