Another Day Of Bitter Cold Brings Record Low Temperatures To Tri-State Area
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The Tri-State area is facing another day of biting cold that brought record-breaking temperatures Tuesday morning.
A record low temperature of 6 degrees was set at LaGuardia Airport, breaking the old record of 16 that was set back in 1968. Another low of 7 degrees at John F. Kennedy Airport broke the old record of 14, also set back in 1968.
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In New Jersey, a record low temperature of 4 degrees was set Tuesday morning in Newark, breaking the old record of 6 set back in 1934.
In Connecticut, a temperature of zero degrees in Bridgeport broke the old record of 12 set in 1968.
The frigid weather prompted the New York City Office of Emergency Management to issue a cold weather alert, asking New Yorkers, especially seniors, infants, the sick and homeless, to limit time outside.
"When you're outside, listen to your body," Commissioner Joseph Esposito said. "If you begin to feel the effects of the cold, get inside as quickly as possible and get help. Don't forget to take your time when you're driving or walking around outside; there may be some black ice on the roads because of these cold temperatures."
Many commuters Tuesday morning said they've had enough of this bitter blast.
"I feel like I'm putting more clothes on every day just to keep warm," Upper West Side resident Shelly Smolar told CBS2's Elise Finch."I'm layered now and I'm shivering."
"A cab doesn't sound that bad today or any other day like this," a commuter told 1010 WINS' Derricke Dennis. "It's just too brutally cold."
"I'm tired of this," one man told WCBS 880's Paul Murnane.
"It is miserable, it is horrendous, it's painful and it's just hard," another man said.
Robert Aulet and his coworkers at Aggressive Heating told CBS2's Elise Finch they are responding to twice as many service calls as they normally would involving malfunctioning boilers.
"A lot of these buildings just aren't designed to maintain temperature in such cold weather so the burners are working 24/7 without shutting down," Bill Jebaily said.
Most boiler breakdowns are a chilly inconvenience, but in isolated incidents can lead to fire damage.
"A lot of fires this time of year are weather-related. Unfortunately, the burners are running all of the time now. Sometimes we get fires in the walls from this," FDNY Deputy Chief Charles Clark said.
The cold is also making it hard for people who work outside, including firefighters who had to battle flames at a Queens home on Tuesday.
"It's very challenging," Clark said. "It's difficult with the hydrants."
NY Waterway's East River ferry service was suspended until further notice because of the cold weather and icy conditions.
Other routes are operating with delays. Buses have replaced ferry service on the Haverstraw-Ossining and Beacon-Newburgh routes because of ice on the Hudson River.
Forecasters are calling for high temperatures in the low to mid 20s Tuesday with the wind chill making it feel more like 10 to 15 degrees.