Extreme cold prompts some schools to close
A mass of arctic air swept into the Northeast on Tuesday, bringing bone-chilling sub-zero temperatures and closing schools across the region for the second time in less than a week.
High temperatures were not expected to make it out of the teens and 20s in most spots, with single digits in many areas, especially northern New England, according to the National Weather Service. But things felt even worse because of the wind, which made it feel below zero for many.
Schools in Massachusetts’ three largest cities — Boston, Worcester and Springfield — canceled classes, saying they did not want children standing outside for extended periods of time waiting for buses.
“There has been an increase of covid with transportation personnel, which would result in buses running up to 30 minutes late,” according to a tweet from the Worcester public schools. “The safety of our students and staff are always the focus of our decisions.“
Low temperatures can result
in frostbite to exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes, according to the National Weather Service.
Syracuse, N.Y.; Manchester, N.H.; and Burlington, Vt., were among communities that also closed public schools. The closures came just a few days after many school closed because of snow Friday.
Rhode Island opened warming centers across the state and in Boston, Mayor Michelle Wu reminded residents that the city’s network of public libraries
was open for people looking for a place to warm up.
Some people took the cold in stride.
“We live in the Northeast in winter — it goes with the territory,” said Michael Davis as he walked his dog in Brooklyn on Tuesday morning.
The freezing temperatures were caused by a pocket of cold air descending from Canada, but the good news is that it is expected to be a short-lived cold spell, said Bill Simpson, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Norton, Mass., office.
“We’re getting an arctic cold front with northwest flow, quickly switching to a southwest flow,” he said, adding temperatures are expected to rise to around 40 degrees Fahrenheit in the Boston area later in the week.
Wind chill temperatures in areas near lakes Erie and Ontario in New York state were expected to drop as low as minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit. To make matters worse, parts of the state were expected to be hit with up to 2 feet of lake-effect snow and winds gusting up to 40 mph.
The high temperature in Vermont on Tuesday was expected to be several degrees below zero in some areas with wind chills of up to minus 35.
In New Hampshire, it was minus 26 degrees atop Mount Washington — known for its weather extremes — with a wind chill of nearly minus 72 as of 8 a.m. That was actually warmer than earlier in the morning.
Temperatures dropped into the single digits in many areas of Massachusetts, with the wind chill making it feel well below zero.