New Yorkers are bracing for a cold snap, but a snowy Christmas isn’t in the forecast.
Experts indicated on Monday that temperatures will dip significantly over the next week, with actual readings dropping well below freezing.
As per Fox Weather’s report, temperatures could hit as low as 15 degrees on Tuesday.
Wednesday will see a slight reprieve, with highs around 44 degrees, but the chill will persist, making it feel like a biting 29 degrees.
As the weekend rolls in, temperatures are expected to fall even further, reaching 22 degrees on Friday, dropping to 20 degrees on Sunday, and plummeting to 12 degrees by Monday.
This wave of cold should wrap up by next Wednesday, leading to more typical December temperatures.
So, sadly, it looks like there won’t be any snow for the holidays this year.
“Though it’s been pretty cold, it hasn’t resulted in any snow in New York City,” noted Matt Benz, a senior meteorologist with AccuWeather.
He added, “The odds of a white Christmas here are quite low, especially considering that milder temperatures are expected later this month.”
The ongoing cold spell is driven by the polar vortex, which sends down arctic air, impacting not just New York but also the Northeast, parts of the upper Midwest, and reaching as far south as Virginia.
AccuWeather also pointed out that the current chill is significant for this time of year in New York City, although no records have been broken thus far.
Benz commented, “We haven’t hit any records yet, but it is unusual to experience this level of cold so early in the season.”
He explained that such a cold air mass typically appears in January, not early December.
For context, Monday’s temperatures will be roughly 15 degrees below average, and the following Monday will be nearly 20 degrees cooler than what’s typical.
That being said, it pales in comparison to the historical low of 8 degrees recorded on December 15, 1874, as noted by AccuWeather.
