New York's Record-Breaking Cold: Causes and Impacts

New York's Record-Breaking Cold: Causes and Impacts

New York City experienced an unprecedented cold snap, with temperatures colder than parts of Antarctica. The city recorded temperatures as low as 3 degrees, with wind chills dragging the real feel to 14 below zero. Rare Extreme Cold Warnings were issued for over 43 million people, including major metro areas like New York and Philadelphia.

The polar air originated from Hudson Bay, Canada, contributing to the extreme conditions. This weekend marked one of the coldest in over two decades, with many locations experiencing a streak of days below freezing that falls into the top 10 longest such streaks on record.

Despite the rising death toll due to hypothermia, Mayor Mamdani refused to force homeless people off the streets and into shelters. Warming shelters were opened in Philadelphia, Washington DC, and Boston, where Mayor Michelle Wu issued a cold weather emergency lasting through Monday.