BOSTON — East Coast residents are bracing for a deep freeze a day after a winter storm dumped as much as 18 inches of snow and unleashed bitter cold, hurricane-force winds and historic coastal flooding from the Carolinas to Maine.
Forecasters say Friday will bring a blast of record-breaking cold air and bitter winds that could make it feel as low as minus 15 degrees throughout much of the Northeast this weekend.
National Weather Service meteorologist Brian Hurley says mid-Atlantic states can expect temperatures in the teens while the Northeast’s coastal areas will see temperatures in the single digits.
He says the South won’t be spared the cold weather, either.
The frigid temperatures should persist through Sunday, when the Northeast residents will feel potentially record-breaking cold.
The icy flooding on many Boston streets during this week’s storm was caused by a record high tide.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration verified Friday that water levels at the federal agency’s Boston tide gauge reached a peak of 4.89 feet above the average of highest tide readings for the day.
That broke the record of 4.82 feet above, set during the infamous Blizzard of ’78 in February of that year.
The flooding sent large trash containers floating down Boston streets, forced the shutdown of a subway station as water cascaded down the steps and prompted rescues of people trapped in cars and homes in Boston and several other Massachusetts communities by rapidly rising waters.
