Arctic blast ushers in brutal freeze across northern US

NEW YORK, Dec 31 (APP):A brutal torrent of arctic air is set to lock much of the northern United States in a bone-chilling deep freeze for New Year’s Day, with temperatures expected to plunge to around zero.
The cold weather comes on the heels of a windy (and almost white) Christmas.
The National Weather Service says there’s a strong probability that mercury will be hovering in the middle teens as the giant crystal ball gets ready to drop in New York’s iconic Times Square to mark the start of 2018.
Experts say if the midnight forecast of 16 degrees rings true, that would make it the third coldest ball-drop temperature in Times Square since records started being kept in the early 1900s.
A wintry mix with freezing rain is likely to develop to the north from Texas and Oklahoma into the lower Mississippi Valley and Alabama into the day on Sunday, raising prospects for sleet in portions of the Deep South.
Forecasters warned of difficult travel conditions on New Year’s Eve.
In New York City, the fire department will add extra personnel on the streets to provide medical support for the annual Times Square celebration, which could be the coldest on record.
Authorities warned revelers who plan to watch the annual New Year’s Eve ball drop to dress in layers, cover exposed skin, lay off the alcohol and bring some hand warmers.
The coldest New Year’s Eve in Times Square came in 1917, when it was 1 degree at midnight. This year, the forecast is for 11 degrees with a wind chill around zero, which would tie for second with 1962.