The fall chill isn't going away anytime soon.
If you weren’t ready for it, Tuesday morning’s chill delivered a real shock to the system. Most of us were faced with morning temperatures in the 30s and 40s.
New York City recorded its coldest morning since late April, while parts of Dutchess and Ulster County managed to dip below freezing – some even waking up to temperatures in the 20s. And this will not be our only cold morning this week. In fact, Wednesday morning will likely be the chilliest time of the week.
Low temperatures Tuesday morning will be slightly cooler, with the low temperature in Central Park expected to be 42 degrees – not record-breaking, but still chilly for this time of year.
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Further exacerbating the chilly temperatures has been the blustery northwest wind. Wind gusts on Monday exceeded 50 mph. Brisk winds will continue through the week, but gusts will stay more in the 20-25 mph range. Still, that’ll be enough to give us a decent wind chill, which you will definitely feel heading into the overnights.
Winds will not be as brisk heading into Wednesday, but still expect gusts above 20 miles per hour, which will make it feel that much cooler outside.
For mid-October, the average overnight low temperature in Central Park is in the low 50s. Through Thursday we’ll be averaging about 10 degrees colder than that, closer to what we would expect in mid-November. That said, if you haven’t done so already, it is time to break out the heavier jacket.
These chilly temperatures will be short-lived, but while they last frost advisories and freeze warnings will be in place for the next two mornings. If you still have plants growing outside, keep an eye on the sensitive “tender” vegetation and be ready to cover them up or bring them inside if you are hoping to extend the growing season a little longer.
When it comes to the average first frost, early to mid-October is around when we would expect to see temperatures dipping below the freezing mark in parts of the north and western Hudson Valley, which is precisely what we saw Tuesday morning.
Most of New Jersey stays above freezing until late October. As you get closer to the NY metro area and across long island, that first freeze typically holds off until November. In Central Park, the climatological average is Nov. 13.
Temperatures will begin to swing upward later this week. After a cold morning on Thursday, we’ll see a steady rise straight into the weekend.
In fact, by Saturday, highs are back in the 70s, where they will stay for most of next week.
