Arctic Front Brings Record-Breaking Cold, Howling Winds

Record-breaking cold and howling winds froze the tri-state overnight as temperatures dropped to 10 degrees in New York City and and below zero in at least one suburb, with wind gusts making it feel even worse. 

Temperatures Friday morning either met or broke record lows for Feb. 28 in Bridgeport, Conn., Islip, N.Y., and at LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy airports, forecasters say. It hit 10 degrees in Central Park, five degrees from the park's record low for the day, set in 1934.

Most areas saw the mercury dip into the teens and single-digits overnight, but it felt even colder as tumbling temperatures combined with icy gusts that made it feel 25 degrees below zero at times. In Montecello, N.Y., temperatures dipped as low as 2 below zero.

Friday is expected to be the coldest day of the week as temperatures struggle to reach the 20s, forecasters say. Wind chills are expected to be well below zero, but the wind will ease up as the day goes on. The bright sun will do little to ease the painful cold.

After a dry Saturday, precipitation is expected to return Sunday with a mix of snow, sleet, freezing rain and plain rain developing across the area. Snow and sleet are likely to linger in the city and points north and west, while the system is expected to transition to rain along the coast. 

The storm system sticks around through the beginning of the work week, with wintry mixes possible both Monday and Tuesday, forecasters say. The storm will move out Tuesday, leaving the tri-state area with a fresh blast of cold air Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday as temperatures fall below 30 again.

Blame the polar vortex for the below-average temperatures. The polar vortex is a system that usually stays near the North Pole and Canada, but has pushed south this week.

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