Arctic air descended on the northeast Saturday morning, bringing dangerously cold sub-zero temperatures and wind chills that dropped to minus 45 degrees to 50 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 43 to 45 degrees Celsius) in many areas.
An overnight air chill was measured at minus 108 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 78 C), according to the weather observatory atop Mount Washington in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, the highest mountain peak in the Northeast. is famous for.
“It’s an arctic intrusion of sorts,” said Stephen Barron, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gray, Maine. “Sometimes in the winter the jetstream dips and the Arctic Oscillation allows cold air to come into our region for a day or two.”
Friday’s high winds were blamed for the death of an infant in Southwick, Massachusetts.
According to a statement from the Hampden District Attorney’s Office, the winds downed a tree branch on the vehicle being driven by the 23-year-old Winstead, Connecticut, woman.
Officials said the driver was taken to a hospital with serious injuries, but the infant died.
Most people heeded warnings to stay inside on Saturday, but some had no choice but to go out.
Jin Koo, 36, braved the cold to take his Boston terrier, Bea, out for a much-needed walk.
“I don’t remember it being so cold, not since 2015,” said Koo, who was wearing three shirts and a down jacket, as well as a hat and a hood. The bee was shivering in spite of its doggy coat. “I won’t go out if I don’t have to.”
Paul Butler, 45, who has been homeless since being evicted in December 2021, took shelter at South Station, a Boston transit hub that officials kept open overnight so homeless people had somewhere warm to stay.
Boston, like many communities, opened warming centers.
“It’s the coldest I’ve ever been that I can remember, and I worked doors at a bunch of clubs for 15 years,” said the former Marine, who carried two bags with extra clothes and blankets.
According to the National Weather Service, the following cities set record lows on Saturday, February 4: Boston; Providence, Rhode Island; Hartford, Connecticut; and Worcester, Massachusetts. Minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 23 C) temperatures broke in Boston last February. 4 record of minus 2 set in 1886. Minus 13 degrees (minus 25 C) in Albany, New York, set a record low for the date. , New York’s Glens Falls set a record low of minus 24 degrees (minus 31 C), colder than the previous record of minus 22 set in 1978.
The extreme cold put a halt to some of the traditional winter activities. Ski areas reduced operations, while in New Hampshire, organizers of an annual ice castle attraction in northern Woodstock shortened the evening visitor schedule to Friday and Saturday nights.
Erin Trotta of Massachusetts, who had already booked a trip on Saturday afternoon, was still planning to go but was taking extra steps to stay warm.
“We prepared to take on the polar vortex ice palace. … Snow pants, thick winter coats, arm and leg warmers, face masks, the kind that only keep your eyes open, and good gloves and Winter boots. Plan on drinking some hot cocoa to stay warm.”
In New York’s Adirondack Mountains, Old Forge recorded a temperature of -36 degrees early Saturday. Temperatures plunged into the negative teens in dozens of other cities and towns, with the wind chill making it feel even colder. Gusty winds exceeded 50 mph (80 kph) late Friday in some areas.
MacKenzie Glasser, owner of OG’s Coffee Bar in Old Forge, said the cooler temperatures are just part of living in the Adirondacks.
“I even had customers for the first hour I was open, and I didn’t expect it at 7 in the morning, so I don’t think it’s keeping a lot of people away,” she said.
The good news is that the cooler air is expected to move away from most of the region by Sunday, when the temperature could soar up to 40 degrees.
“It’s quite a change,” said Barron of the National Weather Service.