The subzero weather that has gripped the state this week may leave for a couple of days, but its return late in the weekend will make for colder conditions, a spokesman for the National Weather Service in Caribou said Wednesday.

Meteorologist Victor Nouhan expects an arctic air mass to move into the region Sunday, staying through next week and bringing even colder weather.

Many areas in Maine set seasonal lows Wednesday, including Bangor. The temperature was 13 below zero in the early morning. In Caribou it was 18 below.

Even though no record lows were set, the temperatures haven’t dipped this low for some time.

“It’s probably the coldest weather we’ve had in two years,” Nouhan said, adding that next week’s weather could reach record-lows.