Deep Freeze Heading to East Coast: Temps So Extreme, Central Park Cancels Ice Festival

Wind chills in this cold can bring on frostbite in as little as 10 minutes.

By
EMILY SHAPIRO
February 12, 2016, 12:02 PM ET
6 min read

— -- Bundle up, East Coasters and Midwesterners: Dangerous wind chills are headed your way this weekend, as 19 states -- from North Dakota to North Carolina -- are under a wind chill warning. Here, a rundown of what to expect:

New York City

The Big Apple is one of the areas under a winter chill advisory, with a possible wind chill of negative 25 degrees.

And those bone-chilling temperatures could be one for the record books: If NYC hits zero degrees this weekend, that will be the first time since 1994.

The cold and wind are expected to be so extreme that Central Park has cancelled its Ice Festival.

In another bit of irony -- the NYC Parks Department was slated to host the "Ultimate Snow Day" in Central Park on Saturday, Jan. 23 -- but that was cancelled because of a massive snowstorm that day.

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Midwest

In the Midwest, the wind chill advisory is active today and tonight with winds chills as low as 30 below zero.

New England

In New England, the National Weather Service issued a wind chill warning from 4 p.m. Saturday to noon Sunday, warning of "life-threatening wind chills and near record cold air temperatures."

The wind chill warning includes most of Massachusetts, except for the south coast. It also includes the northern half of Rhode Island and northern Connecticut.

Wind chills may be between 20 and 30 degrees below zero, with some locations possibly approaching 35 degrees below zero.

The worst of the wind chills there will be Saturday night into Sunday morning.

Air temperatures Saturday night into Sunday morning could fall to a near record cold along the New England coast, possible reaching 5 degrees below to 5 degrees above zero. Temperature could hit 5 below to 15 below inland.

Frostbite Danger

Wind chills in this cold can bring on frostbite in as little as 10 minutes, the NWS said, so outdoor exposure should be limited. If you are going outside, dress in layers, and keep your hands and head covered.

Snowfalls

Meanwhile, "lake effect" snow is accumulating in upstate New York and parts of lower and upper Michigan.

Up to 37 inches of snow fell in Mexico, New York, in the last 2 days.

And in Michigan, some areas were hit with 2 feet of snow. Another foot is possible through Saturday.

ABC News' Max Golembo contributed to this report.