People Near Long Island Sound Loathe And Embrace One Bitterly Cold Tuesday
PORT JEFFERSON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- For people in towns and villages hugging the shores of Long Island, there was no escaping the elements on a cold day like Tuesday.
Jeanine and Justin Cozzetti clung to each other as they traversed Port Jefferson amid bone-chilling winds.
"A little bit of body heat right here, so we're going to make it," Justin told CBS2's Jennifer McLogan.
"I'm freezing and I hate the cold," Jeanine added.
READ MORE: New Yorkers Brave Some Of The Coldest Temperatures In Years; Tips To Stay Safe
The ferry to Connecticut was moving swiftly, although the National Weather Service issued an extremely rare "freezing spray advisory." The hazard alert was later lifted but in Northport Harbor, smaller boats stayed put and lobster traps were pulled ashore.
"This could wreak havoc, you know, if it affects some of the engine or the prop," one boater said.
Ice formed on docks and jetties, and in marinas and harbors along the North Shore.
Historians called to mind the winter of 1857, when New Yorkers literally walked across Long Island Sound from Port Jefferson to Connecticut.
READ MORE: Snow Piles Up On Long Island, With 9 Inches In Syosset And 8 In East Williston
It happened again in 1918. U.S. Navy photos show submarines frozen in nearly 20 inches of ice. Horse and carriages also survived the trip across the Sound.
People couldn't walk across the ice on Tuesday, but the conditions were still cold enough to cause dangerous situations.
"Take more breaks in warm areas. In these cold temperatures with wind chills, exposed skin, you can succumb to frostbite in under ... about 15 minutes," said Brian Crain of OSHA's New York Regional Office.
READ MORE: Winter Storm Snarls I-95 North Of New York City, Suburbs Scramble To Clear Snow
Jessica Katz was taking it all in stride.
"My ankles are suffering. No ankle socks. It's all about fashion. You have to suffer sometimes," Katz said.
"We tried to come out in the cold. It is unbearable, so now we have the view, but we have the heat, too," indoor dweller Lee Ann Guardino of Northport said.
"Came out from Brooklyn to enjoy East Northport and the view, walk around the nice town," tourist Janice Forcht said, adding when asked if she planned to leave her car, "We might. It depends. It's so cold today. It's freezing."
The plummeting temperatures and bitter cold air hit the area just days after it was blasted in the quick-moving snowstorm, and dangerous icing event of last week.
Christine Karas had the right attitude.
"Just layers and just keep moving and think positive!" she said.
And keep the pets covered, too. Winter has barely begun.
