Brutal cold snap hits northeastern US, shattering record lows

Arctic sea smoke rises from the the Atlantic Ocean as a passenger ferry passes Spring Point Ledge Light, off the coast of South Portland, Maine. [Robert F Bukaty/AP Photo]

A dangerous combination of record-setting cold temperatures and powerful winds have buffeted the northeastern United States.

On Saturday, New Hampshire’s Mount Washington recorded a wind chill, a measure of how the combined effect of air and wind feels to the skin, of -78 Celsius  (-108 Fahrenheit), which appeared to be the lowest ever in the United States.

The air temperature at the peak reached -44C (-47F), with winds gusting near 160km/h (100 mph), according to the Mount Washington Observatory.

In Boston, where officials closed down the public school system on Friday due to the impending freeze, the low temperature hit -23C (-10 F), shattering the day’s record set more than a century ago, the National Weather Service (NWS) said.

In Providence, Rhode Island, the mercury dropped to -23C (-9F), well below the previous all-time low of -19C (-2F), set in 1918.

The arctic blast flowing into the US from eastern Canada also brought record lows to Albany, New York; Augusta, Maine; Rochester, New York; and Worcester, Massachusetts, among other places, the NWS said.

Several cities took emergency measures to aid residents, including opening warming centres and conducting outreach to ensure homeless people were sheltered from the brutal cold.

The frigid weather was expected to be short-lived, with temperatures forecast to be significantly higher on Sunday. The high temperature in Boston on Sunday will approach 8C (47F), the NWS said.

A passenger disembarks from a ferry arriving from Peaks Island in Portland, Maine. [Robert F Bukaty/AP Photo]

Spray covers rocks and homes as an Arctic front brings bitterly cold weather to Gloucester, Massachusetts. [Brian Snyder/Reuters]

Homeless people stay warm at South Station, set up as a warming centre, in Boston, Massachusetts. [Joseph Prezioso/AFP]

A homeless person sits on the street during cold temperatures and high winds in Manhattan. [Jeenah Moon/Reuters]

People take pictures next to the frozen Josephine Shaw Lowell Memorial Fountain in Bryant Park, New York. [Yuki Iwamura/AFP]

The arctic blast flowing into the United States from eastern Canada brought record lows to Albany, New York; Augusta, Maine; Rochester, New York; and Worcester, Massachusetts, among other places. [Jeenah Moon/Reuters]

Frost clings to the hair of Joyce Love as she looks at Arctic sea smoke on the coast of South Portland, Maine. [Robert F. Bukaty/AP Photo]

Sea smoke forms over Boston Harbour. Sea smoke, or steam fog, forms when cold air flows immediately over warmer water. [CJ Gunther/EPA]

Jose Perez, who came to the US from El Salvador, and is currently experiencing homelessness, tries on a sweater left on the fence by people at the Boston Common. [CJ Gunther/EPA]

People brace themselves against a cold wind as they walk through Times Square in New York. [Justin Lane/EPA]