Snowless winter streak in New York is ending, a severe cold snap is approaching: what you need to know

It took us quite a lot of time.

Central Park recorded its first significant snow of the season early Wednesday, with almost half an inch of snow as of 5:30 a.m., according to the National Weather Service. While it’s hardly a blizzard or anything remarkable at all, February 1, 2023 is actually officially coded into the city’s history as the last date that snow accumulated in New York City.

The previous record was set on January 29, 1973.

Our long snowless streak ends in 328 days, though most of us are only woken up by the remains of snow on car roofs and sidewalks, if any, before the rise in temperatures turned precipitation into rain.

Also part of this historic week of weather, January 2023 was the first month New York recorded above-average temperatures for just 31 days.

Yeah, let’s all give ourselves a pat on the back. Back at the ranch…

February starts off cold, peaking in the mid-30s. Thursday will warm up a little, rising to 40 degrees on a regular Groundhog Day. Friday’s highs will again fall to freezing point and then worsen. Mother Nature gets frankly brutal on Saturday, with low to mid 20 highs highs and stupefying wind chills expected.

Waking up on Saturday, we hope you don’t have to be anywhere outside: expect single digit lows in the city and feel like -10. It will be even colder in the Hudson Valley and Connecticut (-17 in Bridgeport, -19 in Poughkeepsie).

If you have to get out of the house, be sure to pack up: it takes only 30 minutes (or less) for frostbite on any exposed skin, and even walking a few blocks to a subway station will be painful, especially if you’re windy.

There is good news: severe frosts will not last long. Beginning Saturday afternoon, temperatures will begin to rise – rising to a much more tolerable low 40s on Sunday afternoon. It may also rain in the afternoon.

The weather will remain fairly pleasant early next week as forecast temperatures range from the mid-40s to the 50s through Friday, with a chance of late showers. But at such high temperatures, you don’t have to worry about snow.

10 day perspective