Mother Nature is adamant about showing us what she can do.
She set her sights on the midwest and northeast this season, determined to plummet their temperatures into record-breaking territory. For those of us in NYC, we can expect said plummet as soon as Friday, December 5th. (Hey, Farmers Almanac did warn of us a “chill, snow, repeat” effect, right?)
Grab your coziest throws, fetch the down coats out of the closet, and rejoice knowing the radiators are clanking — as the song goes, “Baby it’s cold outside.”
The midwest and northeast braces for record-breaking cold
The New York Post shared that MIT climatologist Judah Cohen believes December will run roughly 15-20 degrees below average. Considering NYC’s average temps hover in the high 30s/low 40s, we’re not exactly thrilled to hear that we’ll need to double our layer of socks.
Although we’ll get a taste of these stark conditions on Friday — the AccuWeather forecast suggests we’ll be in the 30s with possibilities of snow — Cohen’s research suggests that the coldest temperatures are headed our way mid-month. This is just the beginning, folks!
According to CNN, the polar vortex disruption in November is what’s causing the chaos now, and that will lead to NYC’s coldest day since March 2025 on Friday.
Should you have concerns about the impending cold coming our way, you can text NOTIFYNYC to 692-692 to get citywide emergency updates from NotifyNYC.
Be sure to familiarize yourself with NYC’s legal heat season rules — which include what a landlord must provide tenants in terms of temperatures and hot water — and do what you need to stay warm this season.
Good luck with everything, NYC. You got this. And remember: only 199 days until summer 2026.