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MT. WASHINGTON, N.H. (WPRI) – New Hampshire’s Mount Washington, the highest peak in the Northeast, recorded the coldest wind chill in the history of the United States on Saturday morning when an arctic air mass hit New England.
The Mount Washington Observatory recorded a new, record-low air temperature of -46.9 degrees Fahrenheit as of Saturday morning at 4:10 a.m, according to overnight summit conditions.
The previous record daily low of -32 degrees Fahrenheit was set in 1963.
The previous wind chill record was shattered overnight, when wind chills dropped to -108.4 degrees at different points on Friday night and Saturday morning. The previous record was -102.7 degrees Fahrenheit.
“Winds will also remain elevated Saturday morning, with wind speeds ranging from 100-115 mph with gusts up to 135 mph,” the observatory wrote in a summit forecast on Saturday. “Strong winds and harsh cold temperatures will continue to produce dangerously low wind chill values, with wind chill values remaining at 100 below to 110 below Saturday morning.
The record-cold temps come amid what experts call a “generational Arctic outbreak” throughout the Northeast, a branch of the National Weather Service (NWS) told CNN.
On Saturday morning, dangerously cold temperatures remained, along with wind chills that dropped to -45 to -50 degrees Fahrenheit in many areas. On Sunday, however, the frigid temperatures in the region are expected to move out, and possibly rise to the 40s.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
