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If December has felt unusually icy already, we’re about to get another rude awakening. An arctic air mass, the same system that’s been shattering records across the Midwest, will slide into the metro area Thursday night, dropping temperatures into the upper 20s and low 30s and making the city feel like the teens by Friday morning.
The National Weather Service says wind chill will be the real headline. “Be prepared — just bundle up,” NWS meteorologist John Cristantello told Gothamist. “Try not to leave any exposed skin, if possible. Stay indoors, you don't wanna be outside for extended periods of time if you don't have to be.”
The city may even break a few records. At LaGuardia, the record low for December 5 is 21 degrees Fahrenheit and the forecast is 20 degrees Fahrenheit. JFK’s record low for the day is 20 degrees Fahrenheit, with forecasters expecting 21 degrees Fahrenheit. Central Park’s historic low of 11 degrees Fahrenheit in 1926 is safe, but Friday will still mark the city’s coldest morning since early March.
What’s arriving here has already gutted temperatures across the country. Double-digit subzero lows hit northern Iowa today, with places like Aberdeen, South Dakota, tying -18 degrees Fahrenheit. Chicago is flirting with a plunge below its long-standing record of 4 degrees Fahrenheit. For New Yorkers, the extreme Midwest numbers mainly serve as a preview, since the same air mass is simply marching east.
After a quick warm-up over the weekend, another cold blast from Canada is due on Monday, dropping temperatures right back to the upper 20s and low 30s. And researchers warn this may become a pattern. A disrupted polar vortex (that’s the strong Arctic winds that typically trap cold air up north) has weakened, allowing repeated pushes of frigid air to dip into the Northeast throughout the month.
Snow chances in the five boroughs remain slim, though brief flurries can’t be ruled out. Upstate and across New England, fast-moving snow squalls could create dangerous whiteout conditions.
Winter doesn’t officially begin for almost three more weeks, but we're getting the full preview now. Bundle up—it’s going to be a bumpy, frosty month.