New York City will soon experience a sharp drop in temperatures, with an arctic chill set to replace the unseasonably mild weather of Tuesday afternoon, where temperatures reached the upper 50s and even 60 degrees in some areas. The coldest temperatures of 2024 are expected early next week.
Rather than a sudden plunge, temperatures will gradually decrease over the coming days, bottoming out in the 20s on Sunday and Monday.
Morning lows will dip into the teens, approaching the 17-degree low recorded on January 17, 2024, which was the coldest reading of the year so far for Central Park.
The cooler weather will bring a few chances for rain and snow. After a clear start on Wednesday, rain will move in during the afternoon and continue overnight. This quick-moving system will bring minimal rainfall, with totals expected to be less than half an inch.
While there will be no flooding, the rain is beneficial for alleviating the area’s ongoing drought. By Thursday morning, the rain will have cleared, but the cold air will remain.
A fast-moving system will arrive Friday night, potentially bringing a mix of rain and snow. Early forecasts suggest there could be a light dusting of snow in New York City by Saturday morning, as the precipitation moves through during the coldest part of the day when temperatures are near freezing. While not guaranteed, this is a possibility.
The full brunt of the arctic blast will hit over the weekend, with overnight temperatures expected to fall into the teens. By Monday morning, temperatures in the city could drop to around 16 degrees—close to the 17-degree low from January.
Fortunately, the extreme cold will not last long. By the middle of next week, temperatures will return to the 40s, just in time for Christmas and the start of Hanukkah.