NYC, Long Island to start week under freeze watch as temperatures set to plummet during polar vortex

Bundle up!

Forecasters have placed New York City, Long Island, and parts of New Jersey under a freeze watch as unseasonably bone-chilling temperatures are expected to blanket the East Coast early this week.

A freeze watch will be in effect in the Big Apple late Monday night into Tuesday morning, with temperatures expected to fall to around 30 degrees Fareinheit, NYC Emergency Management posted on X.

The watch will extend into Nassau and Suffolk County, as well as portions of southern Connecticut and northeastern New Jersey, according to a National Weather Service advisory.

The below-freezing temperatures come as a powerful polar vortex is expected to sweep across the eastern half of the country.

The weather system will push arctic air from Canada into the Empire State starting on Sunday, bringing an early taste of winter to 100 million people, FOX Weather Meteorologist Dylan DeBruyn previously told The Post.

Winds will gust over 30 mph into Tuesday, with wind chill values falling to a frigid 25 degrees, DeBruyn said.

The greater metro area won’t be the only place seeing plunging temperatures,

Heavy snow squalls and areas of lake-effect snow are also expected to hit western and central New York — including Buffalo, Syracuse, and Watertown — on Monday, forecasters told the Democrat Chronicle.

Even Tallahassee, Florida, will strangely experience similarly freezing temperatures before New York.

The chilly conditions will subside by Wednesday, with highs in New York City to climb back into the 50s. Overnight lows will also return to the typical mid-to-upper 40s, DeBruyn said. 

Frost and freeze conditions can kill crops or other vegetation and signify the end of the growing season, according to the NWS.

Pets should be brought indoors overnight during the watch, as even short periods in freezing temperatures can be “dangerous” for furry friends, NYC Emergency Management warned.

Outdoor plants should also be brought inside, and those with homes that have unheated or drafty areas should consider allowing an “extremely small amount of water run only from the most at-risk faucet,” to prevent pipes from freezing.

Officials also advised Big Apple residents to dress warmly and take extra care while walking, biking, or driving due to slick conditions and frost that could form on windshields.