Tri-State Area Braces For Possibility Of Record Cold
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Temperatures began to plunge Sunday afternoon and could challenge record lows by Monday morning.
A wind chill advisory is in effect for New York City, northern New Jersey, western Long Island and southern portions of western Connecticut through 9 a.m. Monday. For alerts in other areas, click here.
CBS2 meteorologist Vanessa Murdock's forecast low for Monday in Central Park is 3 degrees; the record, set in 1888, is 1.
Her forecast low for Islip, Long Island, is 0 degrees; the record, set in 1987, is 8.
Making matters worse are intense winds with gusts of 50 to 60 miles per hour, CBS2 Meteorologist Elise Finch reported.
In Norwalk, peak wind gusts on Sunday topped out at 63 miles per hours.
Back in New York, Plum Island saw wind gusts of up to 60 miles per hour, while Shirley on Long Island had blustery winds of 52 miles an hour.
Teterboro, New Jersey had wind gusts of up to 47 miles an hour.
New Yorkers Bundling Up
New Yorkers out and about on Sunday were not too happy about the bitter cold temperatures.
"This is burning cold. It's actually burning your skin," Delancy Crews told CBS2's Valerie Castro.
Some said there is just nothing to compare to this kind of cold.
"There's no description for this. It's so frigid; I'm ready to go home," said Tyroone Alava, of Queens.
"It's pretty bitter, biting, penetrating," Ben, of the Upper West Side, told 1010 WINS' Derricke Dennis.
The only way to survive is with layers.
"Scarf, like two sweaters and two pants," one woman said.
Andrea Morabito, of Manhattan, said the cold has her family planning their next vacation.
"I can't wait for the summer, and I'm thinking about Mexico and the next trip I'm booking, which will be very soon," she said.
Dr. Nadeem Shabbir, an emergency room doctor with the Nassau University Medical Center, said exposed skin outside for just 30 minutes is susceptible to frost bite.
That includes bare fingers that may be out to use cell phones.
Dr. Shabbir said to stay warm, wear loose-fitting layers.
"It traps air so it decreases the loss of heat," he said.
Drinking warm liquids can also help, but be mindful of what you choose.
"Avoid certain drinks like alcohol and caffeine. It increases the loss of heat in the body," said Dr. Shabbir.
And always wear a hat.
"We lose a lot of heat from the head, so it's important to wear scarves and hats," Dr. Shabbir added.
On Long Island, Daniel Losquadro, superintendent of highways for the Town of Brookhaven, warned drivers that "we will have white-out conditions," which means the possibility of driving practically blind once the winds whip up the snow.
He said his town has also had a hard time stocking enough road salt to keep up with the barrage of winter storms.
"We have had a challenge as have every other municipality of getting in enough salt with these back-to-back-to-back storms that we've had recently," he said.
Citing high winds and hazardous roads, Riverhead police are requesting that drivers avoid travel on town, county and state roads within Riverhead Township, as well as Reeves Avenue, Hulse Landing Road (between Route 25A and Sound Avenue ), Sound Avenue (east of Roanoke Avenue and east of Northville Turnpike), Northville Turnpike (northeast of Doctors Path), state Route 25 in Jamesport (east of Herricks Lane), Peconic Bay Boulevard (east of Tuts Lane).
In New Jersey, CBS2's Ilana Gold reported feeling blistering cold and intense winds Sunday morning.
The conditions were making for dangerous driving conditions. Snow was blowing across highways lanes, limiting visability, and there were patches of black ice.
Crews were spotted treating the roads and parking lots with salt.
Another snowstorm is expected to hit the region Monday night into Tuesday, causing more headaches for drivers on their way to work this week.
CBS2's Finch said snow will begin to move in around 4 a.m. Tuesday and last through the early evening commute.
Early forecasts indicated possibly 3 to 5 inches of snow for New York City, it's immediate suburbs, northern New Jersey and Long Island. While the Hudson Valley could see about 1 to 3 inches. Though Finch said the snowfall totals could change as the storm develops.
