Frigid Temps Seize Connecticut — But When Will it Warm Up?

We don't need a meteorologist to tell us temperatures outside are about as cold as winter gets here in Connecticut and for many the path to the car in the morning for that dreaded engine warm-up feels like a trek through Siberia.

Some folks are venturing outdoors here in frigid Middletown only when necessary but it's important to remember that the city operates a warming center downtown for those who have nowhere else to go — or are outside for extended periods of time and need a hot coffee to warm your innards.

• Middletown warming Center Opens as Respite from Cold

It's not surprising the National Weather Service has issued a frigid conditions warning for much of the area in effect through Thursday at 4 p.m. that calls for below-zero wind chills through Friday night.

And we're sorry to say that Middletown won't be warming up any time soon although there is a bit of solace to derive from the fact that spring is only 56 days away.

Wind chills Thursday morning will range from 0 to 10 below zero due to temperatures falling into the single digits to near zero, the NWS says, with winds from the west clocking in at 5 to 10 miles per hour. 

Another arctic cold front will move across tonight with lows again in the single digits to near zero, producing wind chills from 5 to near 15 below zero late tonight into early Friday morning. High temperatures today will only rise to 15 to 20 and should remain in the mid teens on Friday. 

The NWS says Saturday's temperatures will be from the mid-20s inland to the lower and mid-30s across Long Island and coastal Connecticut.

So "warming trend" is a relative measure right now. The 10-day forecast from The Weather Channel says highs on Monday and next Friday will reach 33 degrees.

But it could be worse. According to The Weather Channel's charts of monthly averages for the area, 1984 reached an astounding -14 degrees and in 1950, a temperature of 64 degrees was recorded.

How are you surviving the cold? Tell us in the comments section below.