Bitter temperatures and biting winds had much of the northeastern US bundling up for the some of the worst cold of the winter — a snap so bad it forced an ice festival in New York’s Central Park to cancel and caused an interstate highway pileup in Pennsylvania that killed at least three people.
Officials urged residents to take precautions, while forecasters warned that high winds in New England could make it feel as cold as minus-35oC.
“These temperatures can be life threatening — especially for seniors, infants and people with medical conditions,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said, adding that people should stay indoors and take care of each other.
Photo: AP
Police said weather was a factor in a deadly pileup in Pennsylvania that saw dozens of vehicles tangled together across three lanes and the snow-covered median of Interstate 78. A snow squall appeared to have moved through at the time of the crash.
The bone-chilling cold canceled horse racing at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races in West Virginia and at New York’s Aqueduct Racetrack. The Central Park Ice Festival, which was to feature ice-carving artists and music, was also shelved.
A wind chill advisory was in effect for New York City through noon yesterday. With the actual temperatures falling as low as minus-20oC, the weather service said the city could see wind chills of minus-28oC to minus-31oC. Wind gusts might reach 72kph.
Even with the freezing temperatures, tourists cloaked in heavy layers wandered over the Brooklyn Bridge to Manhattan, snapping photographs. Deliverymen cycled through the windy streets, their hands covered with plastic bags, and garage employees changed tires.
New York Department of Homeless Services officials were on the streets responding to reports of people in need of shelter. On Friday night, 62 people were brought into shelters and 207 people came to hospitals to get out of the cold.
Subzero temperatures were also expected in the Boston area, with wind chills that could make it feel minus-37oC in some places. Winds could gust up to 72kph inland and 80kph on Cape Cod.
Though the temperatures were frigid, they were not necessarily record-setting. The record for cold in Concord, New Hampshire, on Valentine’s Day is minus-33oC, and yesterday’s forecast was for a low of minus-23.5oC, meteorologist Bob Marine said.
However, the big chill did not stall Valentine’s Day plans. Nic Faitos, owner of Starbright Floral Design in New York, said he was anticipating about 2,000 deliveries over the weekend, adding that his business double-wraps all the flowers to protect them.
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