Northeast wakes up to record cold for Valentine's Day

NEW YORK -- For much of the northeast United States, Valentine's Day was the coldest on record, with people bundling up for the not-so-warm embrace of teeth-chattering temperatures.

From New York and Boston to Providence, Rhode Island and Hartford, Connecticut, temperatures Sunday morning dipped to as low as minus-40 -- on Mount Washington in New Hampshire.

The National Weather Service said the temperature in New York City's Central Park fell to minus-1, 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," said John Male before starting a 12-mile park run Sunday morning 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.

His running partner also was wearing a tiger hat on top of the balaklava that covered her face -- except the eyes.

"It's zero degrees and feels like negative 19; I'm going to sue him for personal injury after this," joked Molly Manning, a Manhattan attorney. "I'm here because they peer-pressured me to come out today. They basically made me feel like I was a wimp unless I came out."

Boston reached minus-9, breaking the record set in 1934 by 6 degrees. It reached minus-16 in Worcester, Massachusetts, breaking a 1979 record of 11 below zero.

Providence hit minus-9 and Hartford minus-12, also breaking records from 1979.

In Montpelier, Vermont, the overnight temperature hit minus-19, tying a record set in 2003. And South Lincoln, Vermont, recorded 27 below zero.

Temperatures were so low in some spots, they knocked out utilities.

A frozen regulator left about 400 customers in Connecticut without natural gas service, and officials said they believe extreme cold in Vermont broke a utility pole, knocking out service to about 1,500.