This past Sunday, New York City’s temperatures plummeted to levels even colder than some regions in Antarctica, as dangerous winds swept across much of the Northeast and New England.
In the city, the thermometer dipped to 3 degrees Celsius, but with significant wind chill, it felt like a staggering -14 degrees. Parts of the Northeast were hit with wind chills as low as -40 degrees.
The National Weather Service issued extreme cold warnings for over 43 million individuals by Sunday night, impacting major areas such as New York and Philadelphia.
Interestingly, temperatures at McMurdo Station in Antarctica were recorded at 21 degrees, which is actually 18 degrees warmer than New York City.
The frigid conditions in New York are primarily due to a surge of arctic air descending from Canada’s Hudson Bay.
According to AccuWeather, many areas in the Northeast have been experiencing such cold for about a decade, and in some places, it’s the most intense cold seen in the last 20 years.
This weekend’s temperatures are projected to be the coldest on record in over two decades.
Meanwhile, Mayor Mamdani is facing criticism for not relocating homeless individuals from the streets to shelters, despite the rising death toll associated with these winter conditions.
Warming shelters have been established in other cities like Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Boston, where Mayor Michelle Wu has declared a cold state of emergency lasting through Monday.
So far this year, at least 17 outdoor deaths have been reported in New York City, with 13 confirmed as hypothermia-related.
AccuWeather’s Chief Meteorologist John Porter remarked that the combination of arctic air and fierce winds might make this winter feel more severe than ever experienced before.
