Welcome to the Frozen Apple.
Temperatures in New York City have remained below freezing since Friday — and they’re expected to stay that way until at least early next week as arctic air has settled into the region.
If the mercury fails to rise above 32 degrees next Monday, that would mark 12 straight days of sub-freezing temps — the longest bone-chilling stretch in the Big Apple since 2003, AccuWeather Meteorologist Chad Merrill told The Post.
A stratospheric polar vortex has been looming over North America, which is “dislodging these cold outbreaks” in the Eastern part of the US.
“A big ridge of high pressure has built across Alaska and the western US, so that just drains the cold air straight from the Arctic down into our region,” Merill explained.
“That’s why we’re having these multiple days with very cold weather. A lot of it thanks to the polar vortex and its orientation across the northern latitudes.”
A polar vortex is a cold air mass that’s been unleashed from the poles.
Highs are expected to remain in the 20s through Sunday with lows in the teens and even dipping into the single digits some nights, according to forecasts.
While a 12-day stretch of below freezing temperatures in New York City would be impressive, it’s not a record.
The longest run of sub-freezing weather in Central Park was 16 days in 1961, according to the National Weather Service.
The spell of frigid weather comes after Winter Storm Fern on Sunday and Monday brought more than a foot of snow to parts of the city.
New Yorkers can expect flurries again on Saturday evening into Sunday, though there is a 20-40% chance of 3 inches or more of snow as a low-pressure system develops off the coast, according to Merill.
There will be an increased likelihood of precipitation further east on Long Island, according to Merill.
The upcoming winter storm also coincides with a full moon on Feb. 1st and could cause a myriad of coastal impacts, forecasters warned.
“There’s going to be some coastal erosion and some coastal flooding even if there’s not much snow along the coast,” Merill said.
