Northeast Prepares for Record Cold

[CaptinCrunch]

Northeast Prepares for Record Cold
9AM EST, January 15, 2004

Already shivering northeast residents
will experience a surge of even colder
air as the storm that brought snow to
many areas pulls off the mid-Atlantic
coast.

This surge of cold air was expected to
drop temperatures lower than last
week`s cold snap in many areas.
Record low temperatures are likely to
be broken in many areas including
Boston and New York City on Thursday
night. The last time Central Park in New
York fell below zero was in January,
1994.

In addition, with the storm off the mid-
Atlantic strengthening rapidly winds will
pick up throughout the day and into
Thursday night. Winds of 15 to 25 mph
with higher gusts mean that the wind
chill - a measure of how cold exposed
skin feels - will be much lower than the
actual temperature.

The following are estimated wind chills
for tonight:

* Adirondacks, Berkshires, Green and
White Mtns, interior Maine: -45 to -60
* Boston: -30 to -40
* New York City: -20 to -30
* Philadelphia: -15 to -20
* Washington, Baltimore: -5 to -15

Wind chills during the daytime hours
will generally be 15 to 20 degrees
warmer. Keep monitoring your
WeatherBug to check wind current
chills at live sensors in your local area.
A gradual warmup is expected to begin
Friday into the weekend.
---
Here are some cold safety tips. Click on
the link "Cold Safety" for further details.
Prolonged exposure to the cold can
cause frostbite or hypothermia and
become life threatening. Infants and
elderly people are most susceptible.
Pipes may freeze and burst in homes
that are poorly insulated or without
heat.

Outdoor Cold Safety:

* Adults and children should wear a hat,
a scarf or knit mask to cover face and
mouth, sleeves that are snug at the
wrist, mittens (they are warmer than
gloves), water-resistant coat (preferably
with an inner layer of wool or down
feathers) and shoes and several layers
of loose-fitting clothing.

* Frostbite is an injury to the body that
is caused by freezing. Frostbite causes
a loss of feeling and color in affected
areas. It most often affects the nose,
ears, cheeks, chin, fingers, or toes.

* Frostbite can permanently damage
the body, and severe cases can lead to
amputation. At the first signs of redness
or pain in any skin area, get out of the
cold or protect any exposed skin --
frostbite may be beginning. Any of the
following signs may indicate frostbite:
white or grayish-yellow skin area, skin
that feels unusually firm or waxy, and
numbness.

[JCT777]

Looking for temps near 0 in my area tonight, possibly even a few degrees below zero. Cool!