‘Imprisoned by a cold snap’: Anand Mahindra shares photo as extreme cold grips New York

Anand Mahindra said New York feels “imprisoned by a cold snap” as an Arctic blast triggered an extreme cold warning.

Anand Mahindra has reacted to the severe cold gripping New York City, saying the city feels “imprisoned by a cold snap that refuses to yield”. Mahindra, who is currently in the US, shared his experience on X.

Mahindra’s remarks come as New York and New Jersey were placed under an extreme cold warning. (X/@anandmahindra)

“I’m in New York and I must admit my timing could have been better. It’s 14 degrees Fahrenheit (-10 degrees Celsius) outside. Colder than most of Alaska… For the first time ever, New York City is issuing an extreme cold warning,” he wrote on X.

Referring to a photograph he took days after a snowstorm, Mahindra said the scene reflected the city’s mood. “Took a photograph of this car a few days after the snowstorm. It’s still in the same position, with the snow intact. Symbolises how New York feels right now: imprisoned by a cold snap that refuses to yield,” he wrote.

NYC cold weather

Mahindra’s remarks come as New York and New Jersey were placed under an extreme cold warning after an Arctic front brought subzero wind chills to parts of the northeastern United States. The National Weather Service warned that subzero wind chills could pose serious health risks. “Frostbite and hypothermia threats are real—limit time outside, dress in layers, and protect exposed skin and pipes,” the agency advised, according to a report by local media outlet Pix 11.

Echoing the advisory, New York City Emergency Management said wind chills could fall to around −5 degrees Fahrenheit or lower, raising concerns about icy roads, frozen pipes and hazardous travel conditions.

The ongoing freeze has already caused disruptions. According to a report by CBS News, freezing temperatures earlier this week triggered water-main breaks in parts of New York and New Jersey, underscoring the pressure extreme weather can place on infrastructure.

17 killed amid extreme cold

Moreover, 17 New Yorkers have been found dead outside amid the bitter cold. Some of those deaths were directly linked to hypothermia, ABC News reported.

“We want every New Yorker who needs help seeking warmth to be able to find it," Mayor Zohran Mamdani said.

"In order to meet New Yorkers directly where they are, we are making significant additions to our street outreach operation. We are enlisting the assistance of school nurses, who have been trained on direct street outreach and will support DHS outreach workers throughout the weekend. We are mobilising the crisis management systems, a network of neighbourhood-based violence interrupters to help with direct street outreach,” he added.

With temperatures expected to plunge further overnight into Sunday, authorities have advised residents to limit time outdoors, check on vulnerable neighbours, protect pets and pipes, and prepare for difficult travel conditions.