The blast of Arctic air continues to cause deadly weather throughout the Northeast as the temperature recorded at Mount Washington made the peak as cold as Mars.
The recorded temperature of minus 110 Fahrenheit broke the previous record of 103 as NASA’s observatory reports that the weather on the red planet was a relatively comfortable minus 105 Fahrenheit this week.
Mount Washington Observatory meteorologist Francis Tarasiewicz told WMUR, “It’s really an amazing day, an impressive day and actually a little bit scary moment.” Temperatures are expected to rise to 48 in New England on Sunday.
Bostonians awoke to the coldest morning since 1957. The weather is also causing chaos at Logan Airport, where at least 60 delays and 10 cancellations have been reported, according to Flight Aware. Freezing fuel pumps were the cause of at least part of the disruption.
Tarasiewicz also said: “At one point on one of our west-facing doors, the hinge holding it closed broke, the force of the winds was so strong. So we had to do an emergency repair.”
He described the cold weather as feeling like constant bee stings on the skin.
In comparison, air temperatures in Eureka, Canada’s northernmost Arctic weather station, hovered around -41 degrees.
Mount Washington Observatory, located in the White Mountains of northern New Hampshire at 6,288 feet, had to deal with a combination of extreme cold and high winds from an intense blast of arctic air.
In the town of Wareham, Massachusetts, the local fire department performed the heroic rescue of a dog that fell through the ice on the town’s Bartlett Pond.
The dog, Dakota, was about 150 feet from shore, the department said on Facebook. It is estimated that he was in the water for around 20 minutes before being rescued.
While a popular pond hockey tournament was postponed in Maine, known for its cold weather, some ski resorts restricted operations and organizers even put the kibosh on Saturday’s events at the National Toboggan Championships.
In Portland, the wind chill should drop to 40 below Fahrenheit. It will be the coldest since at least 2016 and could be the coldest since 1981, so it’s possible the wind chills will be the coldest in more than four decades.
Boston Harbor on February 4th. Wind chill forecast for Saturday can cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes
Mount Washington Observatory meteorologist Francis Tarasiewicz told WMUR, “It’s really an amazing day, an impressive day and actually a little bit scary moment.”
In the town of Wareham, Massachusetts, the local fire department performed the heroic rescue of a dog that fell through the ice on the town’s Bartlett Pond
The dog, Dakota, was about 150 feet from shore, the department said on Facebook
It is estimated that he was in the water for around 20 minutes before being rescued
Mute swans and other birds take shelter in Irondequoit Bay in Irondeqquoit, New York near the Irondequoit Bay Outlet Bridge from windy Lake Ontario on Friday
Ice cream pancakes and ice cream scoops from Lake Ontario flow into Irondequoit Bay near the Irondequoit Bay Outlet Bridge in Irondequoit, New York
Mount Washington records wind chills of -104F – the lowest temperature ever recorded in the US – the weather observatory on the mountain is pictured shrouded in ice
Daily record lows were reported Saturday morning in southern New England, greater New York City and parts of upstate New York thanks to an arctic blast
Wind chills forecast for Saturday could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes.
Even wrapped up, the extreme cold can be dangerous for someone who is outside for a long time.
Therefore, people are encouraged to stay indoors. When people have to go outside, they should dress like their lives depend on it.
Experts are warning people in the Northeast not to ski or ride snowmobiles in the cold conditions.
The worst arctic blast will leave the region within 36 hours, with temperatures in Maine expected to reach an ice melt high of 37 degrees.
There were also flight disruptions farther south, with Newark and JFK reporting more than 70 delays alongside three cancellations as of Saturday morning.
Even wrapped up, the extreme cold can be dangerous for someone who is outside for a long time
The worst arctic blast will leave the region within 36 hours, with temperatures in Maine expected to reach an ice melt high of 37 degrees
Boston’s South Station, the city’s largest transportation hub, opened its doors to homeless people seeking shelter.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu declared a state of emergency through Sunday and opened warm centers to help the city’s more than 650,000 residents cope with what could become a “one off” cold front, according to the NWS.
Early Friday, Arctic tide pouring into the United States from eastern Canada was concentrated on the US plains, Weather Service meteorologist Bob Oravec said. Kabetogama, Minnesota, near the Ontario border, was America’s coldest place at 1 p.m. EST, with a temperature of minus 39.
In New York City, the code blue alert issued by the mayor means that no one will be denied lodging in the city’s facilities.
Temperatures in the Big Apple were as high as five degrees Saturday morning amid a mild winter.
Meanwhile, a Pacific storm on Saturday night was expected to bring another round of heavy snow into the mountains of California’s Sierra Nevada.
Periods of moderate rain were forecast through the weekend at lower elevations in central and northern California and the Pacific Northwest.
Despite the extreme cold, Belgian native Nhon Ma drove his Zinneken’s food truck near Boston University on Friday, selling Belgian waffles made from homemade batter and keeping warm with three or four waffle irons running at once.
“They generate heat, but of course it’s cold, it’s going to be cold, but we’re here,” Ma told Portal.
In a cold Biddeford, Maine, about 95 miles north of Boston, Katie Pinard, owner of a coffee and book store, said business was brisk as customers came in from the cold and some decided to shop at her Elements: Books Coffee store work beer instead of commuting.
“Yeah, Mainers are pretty hardy, but talk to me tomorrow and we’ll see if we’re busy or not,” she said, looking ahead to Saturday morning when temperatures are expected to drop to -18°F (-28° C) would fall ). “I think people are out there and doing what they have to do before the real cold hits.”