Bill Abeling, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Bismarck, was looking at the bright side of the weather charts mid-day Saturday.

Yeah, he knew the temperatures were probably going to dive down to a bit below zero Saturday night near the Canadian border and be in the single digits here. And that today's high may be just 20 degrees.

And he could see that after a relatively warm day on Monday, well, a predicated high in the 20s, that there could be significant wind, some snow on Tuesday - and that on Wednesday all indicators were showing a high in the single digits.

The kind of cold that makes one clad, in many layers, to be alive.

But what of it?

"It's been worse," he said.

Abeling said that for those who were here in November of 1985, they probably remember what happened then: High temperatures in the 20-below and 30-below zero range.

So grin and burr it. Here's what's in store:

Cold Canadian air is coming down and a low pressure system was expected to skim across the state Saturday night, producing some snow in the Williston area.

Today's high should climb to around 20 degrees or low 20s, he said. And Monday may even get to 30 degrees - then watch out.

Abeling said the next storm system coming across the northern plains is expected Monday night into Tuesday and Wednesday, and it's expected to produce some significant snowfall accumulations in the state's northern half.

"Certainly five inches or so is possible in a couple days from Williston to Minot, north of Lake Sakakawea," he said.

He said in BIsmarck, there will be clouds forming and light snow possible from Monday into Tuesday. It's expected to be windy Tuesday into Wednesday, with more light snow possible Wednesday.

"Bismarck could see several inches of snow…blowing snow, by Wednesday," he said.

Abeling said if the storm happens to take a more southern track, Bismarck-Mandan area could see heavier snow than that.

He said Thursday is expected to have a high temperature in the middle to lower teens and a low of around zero degrees.

"It's a significant cool-down," he said.

But it's no 1985.