Brutal frigid blast slices across East Coast; record low temperatures possible Sunday

Subzero wind chills are expected for millions from Maine to N.C. Saturday.

ByABC News
January 5, 2018, 3:58 PM

— -- A major cold blast is moving in behind the "bomb cyclone" snowstorm that battered the East Coast this week, shuttering schools and halting travel.

The brutal freeze might bring record low daily temperatures on Sunday.

Cold blast

Now, with the storm gone and arctic air moving in, wind chills this morning were in the negative teens in Boston, New York City and Washington, D.C., and in the 20s even in Tampa.

PHOTO: Map showing forecast for wind chills in the eastern U.S. for Saturday morning as of Jan. 5, 2018.

This afternoon, the wind chill was minus 2 degrees in New York City, minus 10 degrees in Boston, 20 degrees in Raleigh, 26 degrees in Atlanta, minus 5 degrees in Chicago, minus 19 degrees in Syracuse and minus 14 degrees in Detroit.

PHOTO: Residents are evacuated as flood waters rises as a massive winter storm bears down on the region, Jan. 4, 2018 in Scituate, Mass.
Residents are evacuated as flood waters rises as a massive winter storm bears down on the region, Jan. 4, 2018 in Scituate, Mass.

On Saturday subzero wind chills are expected for millions from Maine to North Carolina.

The extended forecast shows a much-needed warming trend over the eastern half of the United States.
The extended forecast shows a much-needed warming trend over the eastern half of the United States.

The wind chill forecasts for Saturday afternoon call for: 20 degrees in Atlanta; 12 in Nashville; minus 1 in Chicago; minus 13 in Minneapolis; minus 20 in Boston; and minus 13 in New York City.

PHOTO: Map showing forecast for record low temperatures in the eastern U.S. for Sunday morning, as of Jan. 5, 2018.

Temperatures are expected to be the lowest on Sunday.

Daily record low actual temperatures are possible on Sunday in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Boston's daily record is minus 2 degrees, and the forecast calls for minus 6 degrees.

And if Philadelphia reaches below zero Sunday morning it would be the first subzero temperature for the city since 1994.

PHOTO: A wave crashes over a homes on Lighthouse Rd. as a massive winter storm begins to bear down on the region, Jan. 4, 2018 in Scituate, Mass. The "bomb cyclone" was expected to dump heavy snows in New England as the storm moved up the east coast.
A wave crashes over a homes on Lighthouse Rd. as a massive winter storm begins to bear down on the region, Jan. 4, 2018 in Scituate, Mass. The "bomb cyclone" was expected to dump heavy snows in New England as the storm system moved up the U.S. east coast.

Warmer air is coming

But there is some good news: Warmer air is coming next week.

And as we move into the middle and second half of the month, there is a trend showing a prolonged January thaw.

In fact, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center is forecasting that most of the country will have above-normal temperatures from Jan. 13 to Jan. 26.

PHOTO: A woman wearing googles walks through the snow, Jan. 4, 2018 in Brooklyn, New York.
A woman wearing googles walks through the snow, Jan. 4, 2018 in Brooklyn, New York.

Shoveling out after the 'bomb cyclone'

The storm tore through the Northeast on Thursday, with blowing snow and gale-force winds.

PHOTO: A man walks across Boston Common following winter snow storm in Boston, Mass., Jan. 5, 2018.
A man walks across Boston Common following winter snow storm in Boston, Mass., Jan. 5, 2018.

The strongest wind Thursday was 76 mph on the island of Nantucket, Massachusetts. Block Island, off the coast of Rhode Island, saw a gust of 71 mph.

Thursday's storm brought serious coastal damage and flooding to southern New England with massive high-tide levels in the Boston area.

Boston broke its record for its highest tide on Thursday, beating an old record from 1978, the National Weather Service said.

PHOTO: The Boston Fire Department shared images of Neponset Circle firefighters rescuing a driver who was trapped by rising water in Boston, Jan. 4, 2018.
The Boston Fire Department shared images of Neponset Circle firefighters rescuing a driver who was trapped by rising water in Boston, Jan. 4, 2018.

The biggest snowfall was in Bangor, Maine, which got 18.3 inches.

Staffordville, Connecticut, saw 16 inches.

New York City's Central Park had 9.8 inches of snow, while Boston was blanketed with 13.4 inches.

PHOTO: A pedestrian braves the cold in New York City, Jan. 4, 2018.
A pedestrian braves the cold in New York City, Jan. 4, 2018.

Public schools in New York City, Boston and in many other districts around the region were closed Thursday.

Before the storm reached the Northeast, it ripped through the Southeast on Wednesday, bringing more snow to parts of the South than in nearly 30 years.

Rockyhock, North Carolina, had a full foot of snow.

Charleston, South Carolina, saw 5.3 inches -- the most snow since 1989, when the city had 6 inches.

Related Topics

ABC News Live

ABC News Live

24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events