Baby, it’s cold outside — and you’d better get used to it!
The arctic cold front that’s been making New Yorkers miserable is going to hang around for most of the month and into February, with the only respite on the horizon marred by the likelihood of a slushy snowstorm.
That’s not comforting news to the owner of this car, which is completely encased in ice yesterday on East Second Street between First and Second avenues in Manhattan — and likely to stay that way for a while.
Weather forecasters expected the thermometer to dip to a bitter 5 degrees this morning — the coldest reading in Central Park since Jan. 28, 2005.
Today’s high is not expected to top 20.
“We’ve got a nice little dump of arctic air from Canada spilling down,” said AccuWeather meteorologist Matt Rinde.
“And then a high pressure system sitting overhead will hold it in place today.”
The thermometer should climb back up to the 30s by tomorrow, but that relatively balmy weather could be accompanied by snow flurries, which could carry into Wednesday.
The city will likely just see a brief dusting of snow or freezing rain before getting battered by as much as a half-inch of rain.
Long-term forecasts predict the East Coast will continue to get socked in by frigid temperatures until mid-February, thanks to a cruel arctic front.
Harlem letter carrier Brandon Smith, who works outside all day delivering mail, wasn’t happy to hear the weather forecast.
“I can’t say I’ll be a very happy person this week,” he said.
“Cold weather just makes you pissed off.”
And Carlos Hernandez, a FedEx employee making deliveries in Harlem, said, “I do my best to keep warm.
“I can’t say I’m looking forward to the weather getting worse. You just have to be positive and do your work.
“You can’t do anything about the weather.”
Additional reporting by Tim Perone