“Life-threatening” wind chills of between -23C and -28C are predicted to lash New York City on Wednesday. Weather that cold can cause frostbite and hypothermia within 30 minutes, according to Accuweather. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said: “Safety is our number one priority, and we are once again urging New Yorkers to prepare for the upcoming winter weather and to travel with caution in these potentially dangerous conditions. “State agencies are out in full force conducting preparatory operations and will remain engaged throughout the week to assist localities with whatever they need.”
Governor Cuomo has directed a Level 3 activation of the State Emergency Operations Center in order to push forward any emergency response activities if needed.
How much snow will fall in New York?
Upstate New York can expect between six and 12 inches of snow this week, according to current estimates by the State of New York.
The regions affected to receive this much snow include The Capital Region, Central New York, Mid-Hudson, Mohawk Valley, North Country, and Southern Tier.
Snow will begin falling late on Monday through into Wednesday morning.
But up to 15 inches could fall in the southern Adirondacks in the worst-case scenario.
Temperatures will not be as cold as they have been in the midwest – wind chill could hit -54C (-65F) in western Minnesota, USA, this week – but the conditions are still dangerous.
AccuWeather Meteorologist Brett Edwards said: “The coldest air will hold for interior parts of the Northeast, where the mercury will drop below zero Wednesday night.”
Why is it so cold?
The current deep freeze is being caused by a disruption in the polar vortex moving arctic conditions further south.
A polar vortex is a band of low pressure moving in a counter-clockwise direction around the two poles.
When this gets disrupted it causes the vortex to lower, causing temperatures to plummet.
NWS meteorologist Brian Hurley said: “If you live up in the Arctic Circle, you’d say this is pretty normal.
“When it’s actually brought down to this level, that’s when you know it’s something serious.”
Chicago is facing the main brunt of the freezing weather with widespread heavy snow already affecting the area on Monday.
Wind chills as low as -50 F (-46C) were also expected by Tuesday evening through Thursday morning.