Philadelphia

First Alert: Get Ready For One More Day of This Arctic Blast

An early season Arctic blast will blanket the entire Philadelphia area through the weekend. Philadelphia has declared a Code Blue as the freeze moves in.

Philadelphia declared a Code Blue that runs through Sunday morning and increases outreach to get homeless people off the streets and into a warm shelter. 

On Saturday morning, it feels more like January than early November. Temperatures will hover near record-low territory in the 20s with a wind-chill (feels-like temperature) in the single digits and teens. The actual high temperatures on Saturday will be in the mid-30s to near 40 degrees which is 20 degrees below average for this time of year. 

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NBC 5 News
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The eastern half of the United States has been blanketed by this unseasonably cold air and because we haven’t experienced extreme cold like this since last March.

The NBC10 First Alert Weather Team has extended a First Alert for the cold through Saturday evening. Last year Philadelphia’s first freeze was on November 23rd.

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We may come close to breaking the record low temperature for Saturday which is 21 degrees set in 1961. Records could also fall on Saturday in Trenton, Atlantic City, Allentown and Reading.

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Chicago Blackhawks

Don’t be deceived by the bright sunshine outside… it will be extremely cold, so make sure the kids are covered head to toe with winter gear on Saturday.

By Sunday afternoon temperatures will have rebounded to near 50 in Philadelphia.

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Please remember to give special care to your pets too. They need a warm place to sleep and fresh water left in a spot that can’t freeze. This cold snap is a shock to their system just like ours. After all we were in the 70s earlier this week. 

This is also the perfect time to make sure the pilot light on your furnace is working properly. Remember it is never safe to use gas generators inside a home or closed room, do not set space heaters too close to drapes or other flammable materials and never leave a stove top on for heating due to the fire danger.

Watch for our updates on this cold snap throughout the weekend on TV, here online and on social media. You can also download our free APP to keep track of the weather conditions in your neighborhood. 

Stick with the NBC10 First Alert Weather Team throughout the cold blast for the latest on what to expect.

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