By Mark Pratt -
The Associated Press
An Arctic air mass arrived in the northeastern United States on Tuesday, bringing freezing temperatures and closing schools across the region for the second time in less than a week.
High temperatures were not expected to exceed 10 and 20 degrees in most places, according to the National Weather Service, which forecast figures in the single digits, mainly in northern New England, but
the weather has felt colder due to to the wind
that made some feel below zero.
Schools in three of the largest cities in the state of Massachusetts - Boston, Worcester and Springfield - canceled classes, claiming they
did not want to expose children to spending too long outside
waiting for buses.
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"There has been an increase in COVID-19 cases among transportation personnel which would mean delays of up to 30 minutes on buses," Worcester public schools reported in a tweet.
"The safety of our students and staff is always the priority in our decisions," they added.
Low
temperatures can cause exposed skin to freeze
in as little as 30 minutes, the National Weather Service said.
For parents who had to work, the Central Massachusetts Youth Christian Association (YMCA) provided a safe and warm place for their children.
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"Every time the schools close, we open our organization throughout the day so that parents can continue working and have children in our center," said David Connell, president and CEO of the institution.
Syracuse (New York), Manchester (New Hampshire) and Burlington (Vermont) were some of the communities that also decided to close their public schools.
The changes came shortly after many others suspended classes on Friday because of snow.
An arctic air mass arrived in the northeastern United States on Tuesday bringing freezing temperatures.
Photo taken Jan. 3, 2022, in Baltimore, Maryland.Julio Cortez / AP
Some COVID-19 testing centers in New Hampshire and Massachusetts closed due to the cold and
areas with warm temperatures were opened throughout the region
for those in need of temporary shelter.
Rhode Island installed them across the state, and in Boston, Mayor Michelle Wu reminded residents that the city's network of public libraries was ready for people looking for a place to warm up.
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Some people took the cold in stride.
"We live in the Northeast in winter, it just comes with the place," said Michael Davis while walking his dog in Brooklyn, New York, on Tuesday morning.
Others had problems, despite their new winter clothes.
"I bought this really expensive coat on Amazon, and it's the best buy I've ever made, but
it's not enough
," acknowledged Katie Cronin, also in Brooklyn.
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The freezing cold caused a main water main
in downtown Boston to rupture, forcing streets to close and turning the area into an icy mess, explained a spokesman for the city's Water and Sewer Commission.
The extreme temperatures were caused by a cold air mass descending from Canada, but the good news is that it is expected to be short lived, said Bill Simpson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Norton, Massachusetts.
The safety of our students and staff is always a priority in our decisions ”
Worcester City Public Schools
"We're getting an Arctic cold front with a Northwest flow, rapidly changing to a Southwest flow," he said, adding that temperatures are forecast to rise to around 40 degrees Fahrenheit in the Boston area by the end of the week.
In the areas near Lakes Erie and Ontario in New York State, it is expected
to be as low as 30 degrees Fahrenheit
.
To make matters worse, some parts of the state are expected to receive up to 2 feet of lake effect snow and gusty winds of up to 40 mph.
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The high temperature in Vermont on Tuesday was expected to be several degrees below zero in some areas, with a wind chill as low as minus 35 degrees Fahrenheit.
In New Hampshire, the temperature was minus 26 degrees at the top of Mount Washington, known for its extreme weather conditions, with a wind chill of almost minus 72, starting at 8 a.m.
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The Mount Washington Observatory posted a photo of a frozen spaghetti plate holding a fork on its Facebook social media profile.
Temperatures dropped to the single digits of Fahrenheit in many areas of Massachusetts, with
a wind chill making it feel well below zero
.
A woman looks at a partially frozen fountain in New York, Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022.Seth Wenig / AP
The branch of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles in the city of Bangor, Maine, where the wind left a sensation of minus 17 degrees, was temporarily closed due to the lack of heat, but reopened later in the day.
Central Maine Power Company encouraged customers to
seal windows and open curtains to let in heat
and allow sunlight to reduce the need for electricity, and warned people to be careful when using heaters.
A faulty electric heater was responsible for a fire in New York on Sunday that killed 17 people.
