Deep Freeze Headed to Tri-State

CBSNewYork/AP

You might have been able to go around without your scarf and hat on Sunday, and a lighter jacket might even be warranted Monday morning.

But come Tuesday, a deep freeze will settle into the Tri-State Area, likely dragging temperatures below zero in some areas and sending wind chills plunging into the negative 20s.

Sunday was plagued by icy precipitation, slippery sidewalks, and conditions that likely led a plane to skid off the runway at John F. Kennedy International Airport and forced the airport to shut down for about two hours in the morning.

A freezing rain advisory expired at 4 p.m. in New York City, and was extended to 10 p.m. for the northern suburbs and northeast New Jersey.

But temperatures had crept above freezing to 34 degrees in Central Park late Sunday afternoon, and the trend was set to continue, with overnight lows actually rising into the 40s, and a high of 48 come early Monday morning, CBS 2 Weather reported.

But don’t get used to the idea of a thaw, because the temperature will plummet throughout the day Monday. The overnight low Monday night into Tuesday will bottom out in the single digits.

The overnight low is forecast at 5 degrees Monday night into Tuesday, but some areas such as the lower Hudson Valley and northwest New Jersey could see temperatures below zero.

CBS 2 Weather also forecasts dangerous wind chills as low as minus 25, which could pose a serious risk for frostbite and hypothermia.

The temperatures could also pose a risk for a flash freeze, in which any moisture on the ground will freeze instantly and make for dangerous travel conditions.

The high on Tuesday is only expected to reach 11 degrees.
Temperatures were expected to climb into the comparatively temperate 20s by Wednesday.

The extreme temperatures and heavy snowfall that have blanketed recent days can be blamed on a “polar vortex,” counterclockwise-rotating pool of cold, dense air that has prompted wind chill warnings stretching from Montana to Alabama.

With it comes a startling forecast: 25 below zero in Fargo, N.D., minus 31 in International Falls, Minn., and 15 below in Indianapolis and Chicago.

In Chicago, the hashtag #ChiBeria has become a trend on social media. CBS Chicago reported a forecast low of minus 17 for Sunday. On Monday, the high air temperature – not the wind chill – was forecast at a shocking minus 13, CBS Chicago reported.