The Concrete Jungle is about to feel like an Arctic tundra.
Bone-chilling temperatures will make staying outdoors a threat to life and health this weekend in the New York metro area, meteorologists and officials said.
According to the National Weather Service, New York City and surrounding areas are likely to experience the coldest temperatures of the year so far, especially Saturday night into Sunday. The agency has issued an extreme cold warning for that period.
NWS meteorologist David Stark said an “Arctic cold front” will move in Saturday morning, bringing a brief window of snowfall before the temperatures start to plummet.
“We’re going to start the day in the lower 20s, and then it looks like by early evening we could be down [to] around 10 degrees,” he said.
Lows are predicted to be around 5 degrees by early Sunday morning. They’ll be made all the worse by high gusts.
Strong winds of 15-20 mph will push real-feel temperatures down to minus 15 or minus 20 degrees, the forecast shows. Stark said these conditions can lead to hypothermia and frostbite in as little as 15 to 30 minutes.
Officials are asking residents to check on their neighbors and pets throughout the weekend. They also advise bundling up in layers and limiting exposed skin while outside.
“You think it’s been cold already? You ain’t seen nothing yet,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a video message Thursday.
“We have not felt this in ages, and it’s going to be bitter,” she added, urging New Yorkers to take the forecast seriously and stay inside as much as possible from Friday to Monday.
According to NWS, temperatures should rebound starting Tuesday, with daytime highs at or above freezing through the rest of the week. That would still be below the nearly 40-degree average for this time of year, Stark said.
Authorities are requesting that people call 311 about anyone staying outside who appears vulnerable to the cold. Those calls will be routed to 911 during the current “Code Blue” emergency, so that first responders can quickly mobilize.
Officials said 17 people citywide have been found dead outside in the past two weeks, as dangerously cold conditions set in. At least 13 of those deaths are suspected to be hypothermia-related, according to City Hall, but the official causes have not yet been announced.
Tenants in the city filed a record number of complaints about lack of heat and hot water in their homes last month, beating the previous high in January 2025. Officials said they are adjusting housing inspectors’ schedules as needed to address the spike in complaints, which tenants can make through 311.
New York City Ferry service remains suspended due to ice in the city’s waterways. The ferry network said it expects to resume service gradually next week, “likely starting with limited or modified routes.”