The city that never sleeps should just stay home — and out of the brutal cold — this weekend, Mayor de Blasio says.
Wind chills could turn the Big Apple into the Big Popsicle on Saturday night, with the coldest air of the season so far making it feel like 25 degrees below zero.
“This must be taken seriously. It’s not business as usual,” de Blasio warned at a Saturday morning news conference. “These are some of the coldest temperatures and wind chills we’ve seen in the last 20 years. Everything we’re going to see in the next 24 hours will just get colder and colder.”
Even partygoers set to paint the town should warm to the idea of taking it easy, the mayor warned.
“Be really careful tonight. It’s a Saturday night, a lot of people will be out. It’s going to be dangerous,” he said, noting that “anyone under the influence of drugs or alcohol may not recognize how dangerous it is.”
Outreach teams have been working to get the homeless inside, and construction cranes were ordered lowered Friday because of winds expected to hit 20 or 30 miles per hour.
“If for any reason you have to go out, go out for as little time as possible,” de Blasio said.
Pets should be brought inside, and anyone lacking heat or hot water should call 311.
“Most fires occur in the winter months … so please do not improvise when it comes to heat in your home,” he said, asking residents not to use stoves to keep warm.