With forecasters predicting temperatures in the single digits and wind chills below zero, the Commonwealth is preparing to weather the year’s first freezing dose of winter reality.

For the next few days, the National Weather Service in Taunton predicts morning lows between 5 and 8 degrees in Boston and near-zero-degree temperatures in the western half of the state. Factoring in what could be a severe wind chill, Boston temperatures could feel more like minus 5 or minus 10, while Western Massachusetts might feel as cold as 20 below zero, National Weather Service spokesman Bill Simpson said.