Temperatures hit the teens for the first time this season in New York as chilly air from Canada rolled into the region.
Sunday’s forecasted high in Central Park was 23 degrees, with a low of 17 overnight, according to the National Weather Service. And it felt colder throughout the city, with steady 7 mph winds and gusts up to 20 mph.
Despite the sunshine, “temperatures will only rise slowly through the afternoon…topping out around 20 inland to the mid 20s near the coast,” NWS forecasters wrote.
The cold snap followed multiple inches of snowfall on Saturday’s winter solstice. At LaGuardia airport, 2.8 inches fell, setting the daily record for Dec. 21. The 1.8 inches that fell in Central Park marked New York’s first snowfall accumulation in December since 2021.
Temperatures were expected to rise some on Monday, with a predicted high of 30 degrees during the day. Wind chills were expected to remain in the teens and low 20s, with a chance of snow into the evening.
“Highs Monday will be 5 to 10 degrees higher than Sunday’s, but still below normal,” the National Weather Service wrote. “Any snowfall will be light, with just a tenth or two.”
New York’s homeless services department issued a “Code Blue” in response to the cold weather and said anyone outside during the freezing weekend would be welcomed at a city shelter.
“New Yorkers who see individuals they believe to be experiencing homelessness and in need should contact 311,” the department said.
Temperatures were predicted to rise further on Tuesday and Wednesday. The predicted high was 40 degrees on Christmas Eve and 37 degrees on Christmas Day, with a similar 39-degree high expected on Friday.
Any chance of a white Christmas in the city will depend on whether temperatures rise high enough or long enough to melt the snow already on the ground. Historically, the city sees a white Christmas about 11% of the time, but with rising temperatures in recent years it hasn’t seen one since 2009.
The chilly temperatures on Saturday and Sunday had little effect on air travel in the tristate area, with few cancellations at LaGuardia, Kennedy and Newark airports despite the snow.
