Northeast shivers under record-breaking cold spell

The cold caused ice to form on the Hudson River in New Jersey. Photo / AP

Only the brave were out and about yesterday as icy weather broke a string of records across the northeast of the United States .
The National Weather Service said the temperature in New York City's Central Park fell to -18C, a record low for the date. The last time it was below zero in Central Park was in January 1994.
"I'm dumb enough to do this," exclaimed John Male before starting 19km park run with two companions.
"I just always come out and I just decided not to do anything differently" - except to wear a furry tiger hat with two tails over his normal headgear, in addition to four layers of clothing.
Boston reached -23C, breaking the record set in 1934 -18.5C. It reached -26.5C in Worcester, Massachusetts, breaking the 1979 record of -24C. Providence hit -23C and Hartford -24.5C, also breaking records from 1979, while in Montpelier, Vermont, the overnight temperature hit -28.5C, tying a record set in 2003.

And South Lincoln, Vermont, recorded -33C.
Temperatures were so low in some spots they knocked out utilities.
The cold kept many people inside. In a New Jersey bagel shop that's usually brimming with customers, Joe Weir was among a small handful of people who sat drinking coffee.

Driving was dangerous in Evanston, Illinois.

"I just came from a church service, and it definitely wasn't as packed as it usually is," the 60-year-old Toms River man said. "We have a lot of elderly parishioners, and when the weather gets bad or real cold like this, a lot them choose to stay in and watch a Mass on TV instead of going to church. Can't say I blame them."
Temperatures were expected to climb before a winter storm already bringing snow to the Midwest moved into the region.