Record-Challenging Cold Expected As Temperatures Drop
By Kate Bilo
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- It was a day for parkas, mittens, hot chocolate and roaring fireplaces as the afternoon temperature didn't rise above the freezing mark in Philadelphia - and with winds gusting over 30mph, it didn't feel much warmer than the teens all day. This is drastic cold for the time of year - our normal high for November 18 is 54 degrees and our normal LOW is 39 - so we didn't even come close.
The days stats are a little misleading, though, because the mercury didn't really plunge until after midnight, meaning we actually hit our daytime high one minute after midnight. So this day will go down in the books with a high of 44, when in reality the mercury didn't surpass 32 all afternoon. Similarly in Mount Pocono, the official high was 31, just after midnight, but daytime temps didn't get above 20.
Tonight, we expect record-challenging cold as temperatures dive toward the 20 degree mark in Philadelphia, which is the record previously set in 1936. Atlantic City and Mount Pocono will also be challenging record lows from the 1930's (18 and 10, respectively). Suffice it to say - baby, it's COLD outside!
But it could always be worse. We could be in western New York state, arguably the part of the country experiencing the worst weather today. The cold westerly winds blasting across the warm lake waters have produced an intense lake-effect snowstorm that has lasted all day long - as of this writing, several spots have reported over four FEET of snow, and the snow is still falling heavily. Some spots could end up with 60-70+" before all is said and done, and a State of Emergency has been issued. The most fascinating thing about this type of storm is that the band of heavy snow is so narrow - for example, South Cheektowaga, NY checked in with over 50" of snow, while just a few miles away, North Cheektowaga reported 2" of snow and sunshine in the afternoon. As they say in real estate, location, location, location.
