Arctic Freeze Sets Records, Cranston Street Armory Heat Issue, and 6 Month Old Killed
Saturday, February 04, 2023
The arctic blast has left records, heating problems, a tragic death, and thousands without power.
Record Low
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTMount Washington, the highest peak in the Northeast, recorded -108.4 –the coldest wind chill in the history of the United States on Friday night.
It is located in the White Mountains in New Hampshire.
According to the Mount Washington Observatory, a new record-low air temperature (for the date) was recorded on Saturday at -47.2 degrees Fahrenheit at 1:49 a.m.
Track the weather at Mount Washington HERE.
6th Month Old Killed
Emergency response personnel in Southwick, Massachusetts, report that a 6-month-old baby girl was killed when a tree fell on an SUV.
The incident happened on Route 57 just before 12 p.m. on Friday, according to Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni.
"It appears a tree came down due to heavy wind and crushed the operator's vehicle," Gulluni wrote in a Facebook post.
Cranston Street Armory Heating Issues Caused by Extreme Winds
One of Rhode Island's emergency shelters for the homeless is having significant heating problems.
“The Cranston Street Armory was pre-heated in advance of the cold snap. However, due to extreme winds, several windows were broken, which led to decreased temperatures in the main drill hall. The Governor has deployed his incoming Housing Secretary, Department of Administration Director, Emergency Management Director and the National Guard to assess and address the situation quickly in partnership with Amos House,” said Andrea Palagi, Communications Director for Governor Dan McKee.
“The team is fixing the windows and bringing in temporary heaters. They are working with the Fire Marshal to enable overnight use in other areas of the Armory that were not impacted. They are also beginning to enable couples who were already prioritized through the Coordinated Entry System to move to the new shelter on Hartford Ave today. Safety remains everyone’s top priority and we thank the team for coming together quickly to address this issue,” she added.
Power Outages
More than 4,000 homes and businesses lost power on Friday night. As of 1 PM on Saturday, that number had dropped to 349.
