New York City is going through a very long cold spell and it may become the longest deep freeze in 65 years, experts said. The city is expected to stay at 32°F or below for 15 days in a row if the forecast stays true, experts explained. This cold streak is likely to last until Saturday, February 7, when temperatures may finally start to rise.
Meteorologists said the high temperature is expected to stay at or below freezing every day until next Saturday. If this happens, it will become the second-longest freezing streak ever recorded in the city. The last time NYC saw a 15-day freezing streak was back in 1881, according to weather records, as reported by NY Post. That 1881 cold wave also included a bomb cyclone and very strong winds with single-digit temperatures.
NYC deep freeze recordExperts said this long cold spell is almost breaking the old record of 16 days from 1961. Weather experts believe the weather will change late next weekend or early next week. Because of this change, temperatures should go above freezing for a few days, and the cold streak will end. Merrill said the cold run will likely end on Sunday or Monday after next weekend.
Freezing temperatures continueNew York City has not gone above 32°F since January 24, and next week is expected to stay just as cold. The extreme cold is being caused by high pressure systems sitting over Greenland and the western US. These systems are pulling Arctic air straight down into the eastern US, experts explained, as stated by NY Post.Deadly winter weatherMerrill said very cold air is moving fast from near the Arctic Circle to the East Coast. This caused Winter Storm Fern on January 25. The storm brought heavy snow to many places. About one week later, a bomb cyclone hit. It brought very strong winds and even colder weather to New York City. On Sunday night, the wind chill was expected to go below 0°F. This made the weather very dangerous.
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The weather report says the cold will continue for one more full week. Daytime temperatures will stay in the mid-20s. At night, temperatures will fall to the teens or even single digits. This cold weather has been very dangerous. At least 14 people are believed to have died outside during this freeze, according to the New York Post. Experts are warning people to stay indoors as much as possible and take the cold very seriously.
FAQsQ1. How long will the NYC deep freeze last?The freezing temperatures are expected to continue until around February 7 before warming starts.
Q2. Why is New York City so cold right now?
Cold Arctic air is moving directly into the East Coast due to strong weather systems.