Freeze warning takes effect for NYC metro area ahead of bitter cold

As ready as we are to move on from the winter chill, it’s not quite ready to move on from us.

Cold air has us in its grip, with the coldest temperatures all week coming on Wednesday morning. That has prompted a freeze warning for the metro New York City area as low temperatures are expected to dip into the upper 20s in some places. Check the latest weather alerts for your neighborhood here.

The freeze warning is issued because the growing season is just getting underway in and around New York City and newly sprouted tender plants may be damaged or die from the cold. While temperatures will be below freezing elsewhere in the tri-state, the growing season hasn’t quite started there, so the danger to seedlings and new sprouts is not as significant and, thus, no warning.  

Regardless of where you live, though, if you have a head start on your garden this year, take your “tender” plants inside or cover them if they’re outside.

Average morning low temperatures this time are in the low to mid-40s. In spring and fall especially, actual air temperatures can fall substantially above or below this mark on any given day, but freezing temperatures grow increasingly less likely the further we get into spring. This is especially true as we make our way through April, as average lows inch toward the 50-degree mark by the end of the month.

Wednesday morning temperatures will be about 10 to 15 degrees below normal. And that is just the number you’ll see on the thermometer.

Winds Wednesday morning won’t be as gusty Tuesday’s wind, but they will be strong enough to add an extra bite as you walk out the door. “Feels like” temperatures will be dipping into the teens and 20s. A heavy coat – even a hat, scarf and gloves – are all good fashion choices for the day.

While increasingly less likely, freezing temperatures are not unheard of this time of year. In Central Park, we’ve seen freezing temperatures as late as May 6, though that was back in 1891.

Within this millennium, the latest we’ve seen freezing temperatures was April 16, 2014. On average, Central Park sees its last freezing temperatures on March 29, while spots outside the city can take a little longer before they officially thaw for the season.

The good news is that this is not a prolonged, bitter cold stretch. Wednesday morning will be the coldest temperatures we see this week (and we likely will not be seeing temperatures that cold again until November). Temperatures are following a gradual upward trend through the rest of the week. It’ll take a little time, but the 60s are making their return to the tri-state soon. Just hang in there a little longer, “spring” is almost here!