Northeast Braces for Minus 30 Degree Wind Chill in Arctic Blast

A bitter blast of sub-zero temperatures will sweep over millions of people in the Northeast from Saturday night through Sunday afternoon.

Wind chills are expected to reach as low as minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit in the Washington, D.C., region, New York, and the interior of New England, the National Weather Service warned.

“These wind chills will pose a life-threatening risk of hypothermia and frostbite to exposed skin,” the National Weather Service warned in an update on Feb. 7.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has declared a Cold Weather Emergency in her city, effective until Monday.

“As we approach another blast of bitter cold starting this weekend, we are urging residents and families to take all necessary precautions to stay warm and safe and look out for your neighbors,” Wu said.

The NWS warned that the freezing wind can cause downed tree limbs, isolated power outages, and hazardous travel conditions.

Over 30,000 people from Virginia up to Massachusetts have already started to lose power, according to PowerOutage.com.

As of 5:30 p.m. ET, Virginia had 8,000 power outages, while Pennsylvania, Maryland, and North Carolina had around 7,000 each.

The state with the most outages is Mississippi, which is experiencing problems not related to the current system covering the Northeast. Instead, crews in The Magnolia State are working to restore power to over 13,000 people who have been in the dark since a deadly ice storm knocked out power to millions in the south two weeks ago.

The bitter blast in the Northeast already started to stall travel on Feb. 7.

Two dozen flights have already been canceled in the United States for Feb. 8.

Boston Logan International Airport has the most canceled flights among the states that are experiencing the frigid temperatures. The airport has just over a handful of cancellations as of 5:15 p.m. ET.

New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority, North America’s largest transportation network, warned that subways, buses, and trains may be delayed due to the wintry conditions.

John F. Kennedy International Airport, based in the borough of Queens, New York, and Newark International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, both warned of flight disruptions for weekend travelers.

The arctic air may be joined by snow showers and squalls.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser urged all residents to call a shelter hotline if they see anybody without a place to stay during the frigid temperatures.

​“Please continue calling the Shelter Hotline if you see someone who is outside and might need free, accessible transportation to shelter,” Bowser wrote in an X post on Feb. 5.