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Brutal Cold Sweeps Across New York and New England


People across the northeastern United States faced the coldest temperatures seen in decades on Saturday, as an arctic air mass passed through the region, accompanied by strong winds that sent winds so cold. danger.

The frigid conditions broke records set more than a century ago in Boston and Providence, where temperatures were as low as minus 10 and minus 9 degrees Fahrenheit early Saturday, the National Weather Service said. news agency. Temperatures dropped to 4 degrees in New York City, minus 6 in Hartford, Conn. And minus 15 in Concord, NH, with the wind making everything feel much colder.

At least one death was attributed to the weather system. In western Massachusetts on Friday, a tree fell and crushed a vehicle in Southwick, west of Springfield, and killed an infant passenger. The 23-year-old driver, the victim’s aunt, was seriously injured, according to a statement from the Hampden County district attorney’s office.

At the summit of Mount Washington in New Hampshire, the region’s highest peak, the lowest temperature was minus 47 degrees at 4 a.m. Saturday, close to the previous record set in 1934. Cold winds reached minus 110. temperatures and possibly one of the coldest ever recorded, although staff at the 6,288-foot summit weather observatory say they don’t keep long-term data on cold winds and can’t confirm the lake profile.

Ventured out into the mountains to monitor the system on Friday, Francis Tarasiewicz, a staff meteorologist at the Mount Washington Observatory, encountered winds that sounded like a roaring freight train. He said: “There were pieces of ice flying around, lots of crouching and dodging. “I have a tiny area of ​​skin, about a millimeter wide, and it feels like a bee sting.”

Conditions eased late Saturday and the cold snap is expected to ease on Sunday. In the meantime, government officials have opened warm shelters, issued warnings about frostbite and hypothermia, and urged people to stay indoors. Saturday morning, 18,000 customers in Maine and New York were without power, according to the website poweroutage.us; By afternoon, power had been restored to all but 5,000.

Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Notes: All times are Eastern. Wind chill is a measurement to describe the combined effect of continuous wind and low air temperature on exposed skin. It starts to become dangerous when the temperature is around minus 25 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature at which open skin can freeze for a minute.
By Bea Malsky

“This is one of the coldest we have seen in years,” said Miro Weinberger, mayor of Burlington, Vt. “We are encouraging people to stay indoors.”

Mayor Michelle Wu of Boston declare a cold emergency until Sunday, while in New York, Code Blue is in effect, meaning No one seeking shelter will be rejected.

Concern about the fate of those living on the streets prompted a hand-in-hand outreach effort in Boston, where dozens of city and agency employees showed up last week to urge those without. housing plans to cope with the cold. In the end, only 10 people chose to spend Friday night outdoors in the city’s largest encampment, said Tania Del Rio, director of the city’s coordinated response team. safe haven.

“We are very worried,” Ms. Del Rio said. “We know these people by name. We know their stories and we care about them, and we know some people who would rather stay out.”

In Portland, Maine, a shelter set up to serve 75 people saw 92 people come looking for warmth through Friday night and Saturday morning, a city spokesman said. Seats have been set up to accommodate extra voter turnout.

Inside Boston’s South Terminal, the downtown train hub was unlocked to provide overnight emergency shelter on Fridays and Saturdays, early Saturday mornings quiet, albeit busy. Dozens of people covered in sleeping bags, quilts, lint-free blankets, and even garbage bags lined up to sleep against the walls and on benches of the station. Others, waiting for the delayed train, stood in front of the timetable.

Rosie DeQuattro and Jerry Berke, of Maine, were there to catch the train to New York, where they planned to see a play. Mindful of the risk of pipes freezing, they open all kitchen cabinet doors before leaving the house, to keep warm air circulating and not cool down like they usually do before a trip.

The core of the arctic air mass passes over northern New England, where inhabitants Proud of its endurance in cold weather. But the combination of bitter cold and high winds has forced some to seek out rare accommodation.

Mount Wildcat, a 4,000-foot peak in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, was closed to skiers for a second straight day on Saturday, citing risks from adverse conditions. Other ski mountains, including Sugarloaf in western Maine, where the temperature was minus 21 degrees at 9 a.m. Saturday, cable car operations are limited.

The National Weather Service in Caribou, Maine, said in a tweet on Friday that it had received reports of “glacial earthquakes,” tremors in the earth, similar to earthquakes but caused by sudden cracks in frozen soil.

In Burlington, Vt. The annual Penguin Plunge — in which participants jump into icy Lake Champlain to raise money for the Special Olympics — has been canceled and replaced with safer, remote activities. An opening event Friday night for the Quebec Winter Festival, which drew tens of thousands of people to outdoor activities in the Canadian city, has also been cancelled.

However, for some New Englanders, who have lamented the milder temperatures and lack of snow so far this winter, the cold snap means a brief return to winter favorites. favorites before the temperature spikes again next week. High temperatures of nearly 50 degrees are expected in Boston on Monday.

Adam Zlatkus, 31, headed out in skates and hockey sticks to a frozen pond in Boston’s Public Garden for a few hours on Saturday morning, unaffected by the cold. Before this weekend, he said, the weather was too warm for the pond to freeze properly.

“I actually took off a layer,” he said.

Across the northern parts of the region – and even in parts of Manhattan – some people expressed stoic attitudes about the cold.

Marco Nasso, 38, wore a fluffy hat as he walked his similarly dressed dog, Cesar, in Midtown Manhattan on Saturday morning. Mr. Nasso, who is from Italy, seemed unfazed by the cold.

“That’s how it should be, winter in New York,” he said, shrugging, adding that it didn’t affect his weekend plans. “Someone lives in Alaska!”

In New Hampshire, too, many residents dismiss the cold weather. Navigating discomfort without fuss is part of the Granite State’s identity, some say.

“It’s brutal, but it’s something I signed up for and I love it,” a Durham postal worker said as she headed out for delivery on Saturday.

In Millinocket, Maine, the cold caused some to resort to desperate measures. Kelly Gardner, a physician assistant, said she and her family often ski, ice fishing or play in the snow on winter weekends. Instead, the prospect of being at home, with three active kids under the age of 6, was beyond what she wanted.

Ms Gardner said: ‘We were going to a hotel with a pool in Bangor with friends for an overnight stay.

Reporting was contributed by Amanda Pirani in New Hampshire, Ken Sturtz in upstate New York, Camille Baker and Téa Kvetenadze in New York City, Colleen Cronin and Cyerrah Walker in Boston, Siobhan Neela-Stock in Vermont, and Alicia Anstead and Polly Saltonstall in Maine.

An adjustment has been made on

February 4, 2023

:

An earlier version of this article misquoted a Burlington mayor spokesman, Vt. “This is one of the coldest events we’ve seen in years,” said Mayor Miro Weinberger, not Samantha Sheehan.

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