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Don’t put that winter coat away just yet – a bitter blast of frigid air is bringing near-record low temperatures to the Big Apple and beyond.
The mercury is unlikely to rise above freezing in Central Park Monday — well below the average high of 54 degrees at this time of year thanks to an intense cold front that moved in from the Midwest.
Wind chills in and around New York City will remain in the teens Monday morning before warming slightly in the afternoon, Fox Weather meteorologist Brian Mastro told The Post.
But the cold crush extends as far west as Chicago, where the city was gripped Monday morning by wind chills of just 16 degrees.
The chilly temperatures also extended into the South, impacting cities such as Knoxville, Tennessee; Richmond, Virg inia; and Baltimore.
In the tri-state region, record lows could also be set as far north as Plattsburgh in upstate New York, where the mercury could dip to a December-like 22 degrees, to as far south as Atlantic City, New Jersey, where forecasters expect temps to plunge as low as 36 degrees.
Conditions are expected to warm slightly on Tuesday and Wednesday before a huge jump Thursday that’s expected to bring severe thunderstorms to New York’s five boroughs and surrounding areas. Temperatures are expected to approach the low 70s.
Regions south of the city, including parts of New Jersey’s coastline, face the greatest risk of heavy rain and high winds.
“This could be winter’s last gasp,” Mastro told The Post. “We really hope so.”
But before Old Man Winter calls it a season, Mastro said New Yorkers can expect another cold one on Tuesday – with a forecasted low of 23 degrees, which would break a record set at LaGuardia Airport in 1959.
Monday’s low temp at LaGuardia was 24 degrees, just short of the record low of 23 set there in 1982, Mastro said.
Thursday’s high in New York is expected to reach 71 degrees, before dipping again on Friday to the mid-50s, forecasters said.
“It’ll warm up a little bit tomorrow, when we’ll be in the low to mid-40s,” Mastro said. “But by the time we get to Thursday, we’ll be pushing a chance at 70.”
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