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`Life-threatening' cold grips northeast US and Canada

Tasha Wallis exposes only her eyes to the cold as she walks down a street in Montpelier, Vermont on Friday. PHOTO: AP

A broad swath of the northeastern US and eastern Canada crunched under bone-chilling sub-zero temperatures on Friday as a paralyzing cold snap tightened its grip, with wind-chill factors to -40oC and little relief in sight for the weekend.

The US National Weather Service issued wind chill warnings for "life-threatening" arctic conditions as snow compounded by record low temperatures paralyzed major cities including Boston, New York and Philadelphia.

"The combination of gusty northwest winds and cold temperatures will continue to create dangerously cold wind-chill values this morning," said a Weather Service bulletin, adding that: "Conditions won't improve too much ... tonight."

The weather service called the subzero wind-chill values "extremely dangerous" and said that "care should be taken to protect yourself from the extreme conditions."

"Frostbite can still occur to exposed flesh in just 10 minutes this morning," it warned.

"If you must venture outdoors, dress in many layers to protect yourself from these life-threatening conditions," it said.

On Friday, 350 schools remained shut down in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and even ski slopes in Maine were closed, as temperatures dipped to dangerous lows.

In Canada, which had record-breaking lows on Wednesday and Thursday, temperatures in Montreal improved slightly, reaching -34oC with the wind-chill factor early on Friday.

Meanwhile, Ottawa, at -31oC with the wind chill, was home to the world's longest skating rink, the Rideau Canal, which snakes through a 7.8km swath of the city.

Canadian automobile associations said emergency calls -- mostly related to cars not starting and frozen doors -- were flooding in, and ski resorts had few customers.

Power firm Hydro Quebec, calling on consumers to turn down the heat and cut off the washing machines at key hours to avoid overloading its grid, saw its record of energy consumption beaten late on Thursday, to 36,279 megawatts.

And in the US Northeast, where the thermometer has been steady at between zero and -10oC for a week, worse was expected.

In New York, already covered by 10cm of snow, temperatures plunged as low as -31oC, according to the National Weather Service.

Gusting winds delayed flights an average of 30 minutes, sometimes as long as several hours, at La Guardia airport, authorities there said.

The weather service issued an alert for New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Maine, with special warnings for New York City.

"City shelters are well prepared," said New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, anticipating temperatures too low for the homeless to remain outdoors.

"Everyone wanting and needing a bed will get one -- without exception. Homeless outreach teams have been working out across the city, around the clock, to convince individuals to come inside," he added.
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