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FACING AN ILL CHILL

How low can we go? It will be so brutally frigid the next few days that anyone not wearing layered clothing and a hat will be at risk.

“This cold wave is going to be a dangerous one,” Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday about the air that will squeeze the city in an arctic grip today and tomorrow.

City Office of Emergency Management Commissioner Joseph Bruno urged people to “take care of yourself. Wear proper clothing. Don’t overexert yourself in the cold. Don’t stay out too long.”

Be careful of hypothermia, and “if your toes and fingers and nose are numb, a waxy color, you may want to seek medical help,” he said.

The forecast called for a fast-moving storm to dump between 1 and 3 inches of snow on the five boroughs between last night and this morning.

Then comes wind today that could gust up to 40 mph during the afternoon, and afternoon temperatures in the teens. Factor in windchill, and we could be looking at conditions that feel like near zero by the evening rush hour.

“The actual temperature Thursday night will drop down to 5 degrees and the windchill may dip to minus 15 degrees or minus 20,” said Alex Sosnowski, an AccuWeather.com meteorologist.

Tomorrow, look for “the coldest day of the winter so far,” he said. The forecast calls for a high of 14 degrees with a nighttime windchill of minus 22.

The mayor urged people who don’t have heat or hot water in their apartments to call 311.

Bruno said that additional inspectors have been added to follow up on heat complaints and there will be outreach crews encouraging homeless people to go to shelters.

Valerie Willis, 23, was shopping at the farmer’s market at Union Square yesterday. The Oklahoma native said she’s “never felt cold like this.”

“It’s so cold I had to buy a whole new wardrobe,” she said. “I’m wearing four layers and I’m still freezing.”

rita.delfiner@nypost.com