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Extreme cold broke longstanding records Friday into Saturday as the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic U.S. continues dealing with temperatures in the single or negative digits, along with gusty winds. 

Driving the news: The life-threatening cold is impacting millions living in New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Boston, for example, saw its coldest low temperature reading in decades.

The latest: The high winds on Friday caused a tree branch to fall on a vehicle in Winstead, Connecticut, and kill an infant, NBC reports, citing the Hampden district attorney’s office.

A 23-year-old woman was driving the vehicle and was taken to the hospital with serious injuries. 

Threat level: Extreme temperatures are forecast to remain into Saturday afternoon for much of the region. In Maine, windchill warnings will remain in effect until 1am Sunday.  

Forecasts from the National Weather Service warned of "dangerously cold windchills" ranging between -25°F to -65°F below zero. 

On the summit of Mount Washington, New Hampshire, a windchill of minus-108°F and an actual temperature of minus-47°F were reported on Friday night. 

The minus-108°F is the lowest windchill on record in the U.S. since the current windchill scale began to be used about two decades ago.

The cold and high winds knocked out power to several thousand people in New England overnight Friday, and there were reports of frost quakes and the sounds of trees snapping as moisture abruptly froze and expanded. 

By the numbers: Boston hit minus-10°F on Saturday morning, the coldest temperature in the city since 1957. According to Fox Weather, a negative 39-degree windchill was recorded earlier in the morning. This is the coldest windchill recorded in Boston since at least 1944.

NWS Boston called the polar vortex "a historic arctic outbreak for the modern era. This is about as cold as it will get in southern New England."

In eastern Maine, a minus-62°F windchill was reported in Hancock County's Cadillac Mountain to the National Weather Service. In Aroostook County, a -61°F windchill was also recorded on Saturday morning. 

New York's Central Park bottomed out at 3°F, and cold records were set at La Guardia and JFK airports as well as Bridgeport, Connecticut.

What's next: The cold snap comes courtesy of a lobe of the polar vortex that had been located over Hudson Bay, Canada. It is only making a brief visit to New England, however. 

The coldest air is currently situated above northern Maine. A blizzard warning is in effect for Northern Penobscot and Southeast Aroostook counties until this evening for blowing snow lowering visibility to near zero at times.

Temperatures for most of the Northeast region will warm into the 10s and 20s throughout Saturday. Most of Maine and portions of northern New Hampshire will remain bitterly cold until the vortex moves off to the northeast on Sunday.

Context: Human-caused climate change is making extreme cold more rare across much of the U.S. and other parts of the Northern Hemisphere. In fact, the coldest months are warming faster than the warmest months in most states.

A new analysis from Climate Central finds that 204 U.S. weather stations have seen a marked decline in the annual number of nights below 32°F since 1970.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with new details throughout.

Arctic outbreak shatters records in Northeast, including -108°F wind chill

On Mount Washington, N.H., a wind chill of -108°F and an actual temperature of -47°F were reported on Friday night.

Visible satellite image of the Northeastern U.S. amid freezing temperatures and below-zero windchills on Feb. 4. Credit: NOAA

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A potent cold snap descending on New England Friday morning that's expected to last into early Sunday threatens to bring wind chills approaching record low levels.

Threat level: With wind chills forecast to reach -10°F in New York City, -33°F in Boston, and as low as -60°F in northern Maine on Saturday morning, the cold could be deadly for anyone caught outside for extended periods.

The big picture: The air mass across northern New England Friday night through the weekend will be the coldest in the Northern Hemisphere, with the possible exception of a portion of Siberia. 

Wind chill warnings are in effect for parts of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

As of 2:14pm, a wind chill of minus-50°F had already been observed at Frenchville Airport in northern Maine. By around 8pm, it had hit -60°F, per the National Weather Service.

The frigid winds blowing across the relatively mild waters of Lake Champlain has led to "steam devils" swirling above the lake. 

This is the coldest air to affect the region in decades.

The latest: The NWS office in Caribou, Maine, said it has received reports of "Quakes" in the area, which it said were "Frostquakes" or "Cryoseisms."

"Just like Earthquakes, [they] generate tremors, thundering sensations," the NWS said in a tweet Friday evening. "These are caused by sudden cracks in frozen soil or underground water when [it's] very cold."

Zoom in: The NWS warns that in such cold conditions, frostbite can occur on exposed skin in 10 minutes or less. 

Strong winds are accompanying the Arctic front, particularly in southern New England, where gusts up to 50 mph are anticipated into Friday afternoon and Friday night. At the same time, temperatures will be dropping all day, down into the single digits in Boston by evening, and below zero in northern New England.

Any power outages could knock out heat during frigid conditions. According to the NWS forecast office in Boston, temperatures there are likely to be comparable to a cold snap in February of 2016, when the city hit -9°F. But areas to the north will be far colder. 

In northern New England, winds may also howl out of the Northwest into Saturday, particularly in northern Maine.

Threat level: Boston Public Schools were closed Friday due to the cold, and authorities across New England have opened warming shelters for residents. The city has also declared a cold emergency.  

The cold outbreak comes courtesy of a lobe of the tropospheric polar vortex, which is distinct from the polar vortex that is present at higher altitudes in the stratosphere. 

This region of extreme cold will rotate south from Hudson Bay, accompanied by a powerful cold front with snow squalls and strong winds beginning late Thursday night and Friday morning. 

Tweet from the National Weather Service warning of record cold weather in northern Maine.

New York City will miss the core of the cold but will still see low temperatures dip to 9°F on Saturday, with a high struggling to rise into the mid-20s. Wind chills will be below zero, however. 

Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. will also see unusually cold conditions Friday and Saturday. 

Blizzard warnings have been issued in northern Maine due to blowing snow on Friday and Saturday, as winds gusting to 40 miles per hour create what are known as "ground blizzard" conditions. 

The NWS reports that unofficial records of the coldest air temperatures aloft, as measured by weather balloons, could be broken.

"Most stations are forecast to see their lowest wind chills in decades or, in some cases, the lowest ever recorded," the NWS office in Caribou stated Thursday. 

Of note: Mount Washington in New Hampshire hit a wind chill of -107°F on Friday evening — its coldest on record and likely the coldest on record for any station in the U.S.

Forecasters had sought to discourage wintertime adventurers from attempting to hike in these conditions, warning of the "exponential" risk of hypothermia and frostbite.

What's next: Fortunately, the frigid air intrusion into New England will be short-lived as temperatures are forecast to moderate by Monday. 

Editor's note: This article has been updated with additional details throughout.

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The coldest air in the Northern Hemisphere is invading New England

The cold snap, courtesy of the tropospheric polar vortex, may send wind chills plunging to minus-60°F.

Computer model projection showing temperature departures from average on Feb. 4, 2023. 

Computer model projection showing temperature departures from average across New England on Saturday morning. Source: Weatherbell.com

January 2023 temperature rankings

Data: Southeast Regional Climate Center; Note: Between 37 and 156 years of data are available per station; Chart: Kavya Beheraj/Axios

January featured what meteorologists referred to as a "blowtorch" pattern in the East, with consistently milder than average weather conditions and barely any snow. 

By the numbers: Most cities, particularly those east of the Mississippi River, saw a top 15 warmest January. 

In New York City, it was the warmest January on record, with an average temperature of 43.5°F — a whopping 10°F above normal. Every day of the month was above average there.

In a sign of the warmth, New York actually saw more lightning strikes than it did inches of snow during the month.

Boston saw its fifth-warmest such month, Washington its third and Philadelphia second. 

Why it matters: Climate change raises the odds of a milder than average January, as the coldest months are warming the fastest in many parts of the U.S. 

A new analysis from Climate Central finds that 204 U.S. weather stations have seen a marked decline in the annual number of nights below 32°F since 1970. 

The big picture: In addition to climate change, other factors worked to yield such an unusually warm month. Waves of atmospheric river storms slammed California, bringing relatively mild Pacific air across the Lower 48 states. 

An area of high pressure across the East also directed storms northward across the Midwest and Great Lakes, dragging mild air up the East Coast. 

What's next: Despite a short-lived, fierce Arctic blast in New England, February is forecast to be another milder than average month in the East.

January was the warmest on record for millions

In New York City, the month was a whopping 10°F above average.

The effects of a severe storm in the U.S. South that killed at least 10 people and forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights after unleashing sleet, snow and freezing rain were still being felt Friday.

The big picture: While temperatures were expected to return to the 40s and 50s across the region on Friday following the multi-day storm, an estimated 289,000 customers were without power in Texas in the morning. 

Freezing fog was continuing across parts of Texas overnight as the storm pushed eastward, posing a threat to the early morning community ahead of more forecast sub-freezing low temperatures over Friday night into Saturday morning, per the National Weather Service.

Between the lines: The storm marked the latest test of Texas' power grid and local utilities.

Unlike the 2021 winter storm that saw an estimated 250 Texans die amid widespread power blackouts due to critical grid failures, AP reports that there were more localized outages in cities like Austin as a result of equipment freezing and ice-encased trees and branches falling on power lines this week.

State of play: Austin Energy tweeted that it couldn't immediately determine when power would be restored. 

Some in Austin expressed frustration at insufficient communications from city officials over the storm and the outages, per NPR.

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson told reporters Thursday morning that a news conference on the outages should have happened earlier.

"I will admit that I deferred to folks so that they could be doing the jobs that they needed to do and [are] experts in the area, but I am frustrated and I know others are frustrated," Watson said.

By the numbers: Over 11 million people across the U.S. were under ice storm warnings issued by the NWS on Thursday, while another 4.2 million were under winter storm warnings.

More than 700 flights within, into or out of the U.S. were canceled Thursday, according to FlightAware. At least 1,000 flights were delayed.

The big picture: In addition to the 10 traffic deaths reported in Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma since the storm began Monday, there have been a series of crashes in the states. 

Authorities said two Texas police officers were seriously injured after being hit by a vehicle on Interstate 45 while they were investigating another crash.

Dallas Independent School District, which serves more than 145,000 students, canceled classes for a third day over the storm on Thursday, as did Austin Independent School District, which serves around 74,000 students.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared a state of emergency in response to the storm on Tuesday, citing downed powerlines and dangerous road conditions.

Context: The storm was caused by a combination of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and Arctic air spilling south from Canada.

Ice knocks out power to thousands in San Antonio

Austin Energy customers remain without power after freeze

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Hundreds of thousands without power in Texas after deadly ice storm

The ongoing storm has caused widespread power outages and flight delays from Texas to Tennessee.

A tractor plowing ice from a trolly line in Memphis, Tennessee, January 2023.

A tractor plowing ice from a trolly line in Memphis, Tenn., January 2023. Photo: Seth Herald/AFP via Getty Images

The combination of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and Arctic air spilling south from Canada is resulting in a long-duration ice storm for millions of people across at least eight states.

The big picture: At least six people in Texas have died since Monday as sleet, snow and freezing rain snarled road and air travel. Waves of mixed precipitation are forecast to spread northeast with time, lasting through early Thursday.

Ice storm warnings were in effect for 12 million people across large portions of Texas, including the Dallas-Ft. Worth metro area, western Tennessee, northern Mississippi and much of Arkansas.

A swath of winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories were also in effect for parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, New Mexico, West Virginia and Virginia.

Zoom in: The National Weather Service warned of "significant impacts" from the freezing rain and sleet, including an increasing threat of power outages.

Numerous car accidents were reported along the Interstate 35 corridor between Dallas and Oklahoma City Tuesday, and Austin police reported dozens of accidents, including some involving their own personnel.

One person was killed in Austin after being involved in a traffic pileup Tuesday. Another person, a 45-year-old man, died Monday night after his vehicle slid into a highway guardrail near Dallas amid icy road conditions, causing him to roll down an embankment, per AP.

The NWS forecast office in Austin warned of extremely dangerous road conditions on Wednesday as light freezing rain fell across the city.

Tweet image from Austin Texas emergency officials.

Threat level: The wintry mix, which was falling heavily in some areas, is expected to worsen as a new round of precipitation gathers across Texas and pushes quickly northeastward. The NWS forecast office in Dallas urged people to avoid travel if possible until early Thursday.

"Already hazardous roadways will continue to deteriorate across North and Central Texas with travel becoming near impossible today," forecasters said in an online discussion.

Of note: The areas at greatest risk for power outages were in Texas, and a stretch from Little Rock to Memphis.

More than 377,000 customers were without power in Texas Wednesday evening, according to PowerOutage.us. Many of the outages were in the Austin area, with nearly 158,000 customers of Austin Energy in the dark. 

"Significant accumulations of ice and sleet are expected across much of the area, resulting in widespread impacts to travel and infrastructure," the NWS forecast office in Memphis stated in a forecast discussion.

In addition to the treacherous roadways, the winter storm was also causing air travel delays that are rippling out across the country.

2,389 flights within, into or out of the U.S. had been canceled Wednesday evening. The majority of flights were coming from or going to Dallas Ft. Worth International Airport, Dallas Love Field, and Austin, according to FlightAware data. At least 3,584 flights had been delayed.

Memphis International Airport, the main hub for FedEx, as well as Austin and Nashville, have also been seeing numerous flight cancellations or delays related to the winter storm.

What's next: The cold air responsible for the icy mix has been setting records in the Rockies and Plains, and by this weekend, one of the coldest outbreaks in years, possibly decades, will roar into New England.

A piece of the polar vortex in the lower atmosphere will whip from Hudson Bay across New England Saturday, sending temperatures plunging amid strong northwesterly winds. 

Wind chills in Boston could reach -30°F, with -50°F wind chills a possibility in northern New England. 

Wind chill watches are in effect for 16 million people across New England, including Boston, Hartford and Portland, Maine. 

Fortunately, the Siberian-level cold will be brief, with temperatures moderating by Monday.

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Ice storm causes power outages, flight delays from Texas to Tennessee

The storm is sending repeated waves of sleet, freezing rain and snow surging northeast from Texas.

Emergency managers in Texas monitor the winter storm situation on Jan. 31.

A weather operations room is seen at the State Operations Center on January 31, 2023 in Austin, Texas. Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Energy Policy

Energy Policy Alerts

A key House Republican is putting forward a plan to make the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) an independent agency outside the Department of Commerce. 

Why it matters: Removing the agency from a Cabinet-level department could diminish its clout when it comes to securing funding and weighing in on key policy decisions, former senior NOAA officials tell Axios.  

It would also hollow out the Commerce Department, where NOAA comprises more than 50% of the budget.

NOAA plays an outsized role in American daily life, since it is responsible for forecasting the weather and issuing warnings for severe storms. The agency also regulates fisheries and runs some of the top climate change research centers in the world. 

State of play: A bill being circulated within the House Science, Space and Technology Committee by chairman Frank Lucas (Okla.)  would authorize NOAA and its mission in law for the first time. Lucas plans to formally introduce it this spring.

Committee Democrats, led by ranking member Zoe Lofgren (Calif.), are open to supporting the measure but are waiting to see all the details before deciding whether to back it, according to a Democratic committee aide. 

NOAA, which was created by an executive order in 1970, has always been an awkward fit in the Commerce Department. It was placed there because of a dispute then-president Richard Nixon had with his Interior secretary. 

However, making it an independent organization could deprive it of Cabinet-level influence. 

Yes, but: There is also precedent for the Commerce secretary to meddle with the agency due to political pressure, as occurred during the “Sharpiegate scandal” during Hurricane Dorian in 2019. 

In that instance, pressure from the White House and Commerce Department leadership forced NOAA to back away from its original forecast for Hurricane Dorian’s impacts, in order to support President Trump’s contention that the storm would threaten Alabama. 

Between the lines: A GOP Science Committee aide told Axios that Lucas’ effort is about ensuring that NOAA’s existence and mission is enshrined into law and reorganizing its structure to make its research operations more efficient. 

“Do we need all the existing line offices here? Do we need to consolidate? Do we need to combine?” the aide said. “We’re not really looking to have some massive reorientation of the agency, but partly it is somewhat of an organizational issue.” 

The bill would enter at least one polarizing area: it would require a study on moving NOAA’s endangered species and marine protection responsibilities to the Interior Department, which helps regulate energy development.

That is likely to encounter opposition on the Senate side, where Sen. Maria Cantwell, chair of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, plans to introduce her own bill to enshrine NOAA into law, according to Democratic committee staff members. 

The Senate bill is unlikely to push for NOAA's independence. 

Some of NOAA’s responsibilities also fall under the purview of the House Resources Committee. 

What they’re saying: Two past agency leaders told Axios that making NOAA independent would likely be a net plus for the agency, since the Commerce Department controls many of its policy, spending and messaging decisions. 

“The principle of moving NOAA to be an independent agency, I support 1,000%,” said Tim Gallaudet, who served as an acting NOAA administrator under former President Trump. “I cannot tell you the number of times where progress was impeded by having to go through the bureaucratic layer of the Department of Commerce.“ 

But one former NOAA senior staff member, who spoke anonymously because they still do business with the agency, expressed reservations about NOAA’s ability to continue to secure adequate funding and maintain its visibility if it were an independent agency. 

For more content like this, join the waitlist for Axios Pro Energy Policy, launching Feb. 13.

House Science chair seeks to carve out an independent NOAA

NOAA has always been an awkward fit in the Department of Commerce.

NOAA satellite image showing Hurricane Ian nearing the coast of Florida on Sept. 28, 2022.

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Auckland authorities are urging residents to stay home if possible ahead of a second atmospheric river event forecast to hit Tuesday after record rainfall flooded much of New Zealand's largest city Friday. 

The impact: At least four people have died after Auckland officials declared a state of emergency late Friday, after floodwaters inundated much of the city and many areas recorded their wettest-ever day. Further flooding was reported after more heavy rain over Sunday night.

The severe storm has also caused landslides, while flooding has closed roads across New Zealand's upper North Island.

New Zealand's education secretary directed all Auckland region schools to close for on-site classes until Friday as the state of emergency remains in place amid the threat of further weather disruptions and to minimize traffic "while vital infrastructure is urgently repaired," per a Ministry of Education statement Monday.

The big picture: This marks an unprecedented rainfall event for Auckland and its surrounding areas, with some places getting a season's worth of rain in one day.

Auckland has recorded more than 769% of its normal January monthly rainfall and over 38% of its "entire ANNUAL rainfall" as of Monday morning local time, according to New Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA).

Auckland Airport halted flights until Saturday after almost 11 inches of rain fell, flooding parts of the terminal and stranding hundreds of people over Friday night. 

By the numbers: Kumeu, a suburb north of Auckland, observed 79% of its normal summer rainfall in just 15 hours, with more than 6.5 inches of rain, per NIWA.

Albany, meanwhile, recorded 75% of its normal summer rain.

Castle Rock has the highest rainfall levels, with more than 12 inches of rain from Friday to noon Saturday.

Context: Atmospheric rivers are narrow currents of moisture-laden air that can transport vast amounts of water vapor thousands of miles.

Climate change is adding even more moisture to atmospheric rivers, enabling them to dump higher rain and snow totals, per Axios' Andrew Freedman.

Thought bubble via Freedman: This extreme precipitation event is consistent with how climate change is altering weather worldwide.

Heavy rainfall events are already becoming more common and intense across the U.S. and in other countries since the atmosphere holds about 7% more water vapor per 1 degree Celsius of warming.

A screenshot of a tweet outlining record heavy rainfall in the Auckland region on Friday.

What's next: More heavy rain and possible thunderstorms forecast for northern New Zealand in the next few days could potentially aggravate the flooding.

National weather agency MetService has issued multiple severe weather warnings and watches for the Northland region for 24 hours from early Tuesday and Auckland for 12 hours from 6pm that night.

Axios' Andrew Freedman contributed to this report.

New Zealand's flood-hit largest city braces for second atmospheric river

Auckland has recorded more than 769% of its normal January monthly rainfall and  over 38% of its entire annual rainfall as rains continue.

Extreme weather

The big picture

Arctic outbreak shatters records in Northeast, including -108°F wind chill

Ice storm causes power outages, flight delays from Texas to Tennessee

House Science chair seeks to carve out an independent NOAA

Atmospheric rivers force California to manage floods during drought

California flooded by yet more powerful atmospheric river storms

Global warming is about to accelerate

All Extreme weather stories

Arctic outbreak shatters records in Northeast, including -108°F wind chill

The coldest air in the Northern Hemisphere is invading New England

January was the warmest on record for millions

Hundreds of thousands without power in Texas after deadly ice storm

Ice storm causes power outages, flight delays from Texas to Tennessee

House Science chair seeks to carve out an independent NOAA

New Zealand's flood-hit largest city braces for second atmospheric river

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