Old Man Winter won’t be leaving anytime soon.

The National Weather Service forecasts bitter lows for the rest of the week, with the temperature below zero tonight. The wind chill could drop to 17 below.

Overnight lows for the rest of the week are expected to hover in the single digits with more frigid wind chills.

Joe Palko, a meteorologist with the weather service, said the high on Saturday will reach to 27 before falling off again into the teens as highs next week.

He said deep freeze comes from the polar regions through Canada.

“Basically, it’s arctic air,” Palko said.

While not unheard of in the Northeast region of the country, that arctic air has turned this into the coldest winter since 1994, Palko said.

He said 70 percent of Lake Erie is covered with ice — the most in several years.

Palko said the same jet stream carrying the arctic blast here is depriving the West Coast of storms that bring moisture, leaving California with dry weather.

He said if this weather pattern persists, the bitter cold would bring minimal precipitation in the form of dry, fluffy snow.

Forecasters say the storm will make travel hazardous due to snow-covered roads and periods of low visibility as well as blowing and drifting snow. Forecasters say the afternoon and evening rush hours “will be significantly impacted.”

Snow totals of 4 to 8 inches are expected in areas of central Pennsylvania including Harrisburg.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.