Forecasters Warn of ‘Dangerous’ Weekend Cold Front

Experts warn this New Year’s Eve is going to be dangerously cold for huge swaths of the country, and caution people to think twice about any outdoor activities they might have planned.

Wind chill advisories are already in effect from the midwest all the way to New England. Meteorologist are warning people in North Dakota, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan, New York, Maine, Vermont and Indiana to limit their time outdoors as much as possible for the next week or so.

In New York City’s Times Square, the temperature is expected to hit a low of 12-degrees on New Year’s Eve, when as many as a million people usually crowd the streets to watch the ball drop and ring in the new year. According to meteorologists, as little as half an hour of exposure to these conditions could result in frostbite, so they’re advising people to start 2018 off indoors.

People are already feeling the freezing temps take their toll in many areas, as morning commuters in the north-east today stepped out into temperatures in the mid-teens.

In Pennsylvania, the thermometer has only crept up as high as the mid-twenties during the day, while the nights are in the single digits. This is in addition to this weekend’s record-setting snowfall in Erie, Pennsylvania, which was hit with five feet of snow in just two days.

Currently, the coldest New Year’s Eve on record was just two degrees in NYC. Forecasters say this year will most likely stay above ten degrees at last, but even coming that close will be catastrophic.

However, there’s a possibility of snow in the Big Apple on New Year’s Eve, so those in the area should keep a close eye on the weather forecast. Meanwhile, Boston is expected to hit a low of five degrees on Dec. 31, and stay there throughout the next day. In Minneapolis, the currently projected low is -19 degrees, though experts say the wind chill will make it feel like -25, or even -40 in some places.

The National Weather Service is urging people to stay in, bundle up, keep an eye on the forecast, and reach out to neighbors if you need help.