Light snow falls, deep freeze continues

  Eyewitness News

NEW YORK (WABC) -- The deep freeze continues to hold a tight grip on the New York and New Jersey area, bursting pipes and bringing further misery to folks still trying to recover from Superstorm Sandy.

Motorists are urged to use caution because of slick travel conditions.

Temperatures have not dipped this low for this long in several years, and there isn't expected to be any relief from the frigid, bone-chilling conditions until next week.

Union County plows and salt trucks went into high gear once again.

But with temperatures in the teens, workers were more concerned about black ice than snow accumulation which wasn't significant this time around.

Instead, slippery and wet roads forced commuters to take extra precautions on the roadways.

The snowfall caused headaches for local businesses. Most had their walkways salted and shoveled.

One worker even used a leaf blower to clear the white powder from the sidewalk and it did the job.

While the cold, frigid weather was unpleasant for most, it wasn't enough to keep others from venturing outside, including Maria Pontoriero who was carrying unicorn balloons through a snowy parking lot.

Her 4-year-old daughter's birthday party is Saturday morning and nothing was going to stop her from buying supplies.

Fortunately, the snow and ice did not cause significant problems for NJ Transit's Morris and Essex lines.

Commuters at the Summit Station have been getting home from New York on time.

In New York City, food vendor Bashir Babury contended with bone-numbing cold when he set up his cart selling coffee, bagels and pastries. On the coldest of days, he wears layers of clothing and cranks up a small propane heater inside his cart.

"I put on two, three socks, I have good boots and two, three jackets," he said. "A hat, gloves, but when I'm working I can't wear gloves."

Anyone who has to travel is warned to be extra careful of black ice. It only takes a few minutes for puddles of water to freeze over, posing a danger to drivers and pedestrians alike.

"The summer is too hot the winter is too cool," area resident Walter Wemembra said. "What are you going to do? You got to work."

Mom Marie Ryder says this is not the time to take any chances with the elderly or little ones.

"She's bundled up," Ryder said of her young daughter. "The hat, gloves, long johns on. She's layered up, everything."

Dr. Lawrence Melniker, of New York Methodist Hospital, says frostbite is also real fear that can take hold rapidly.

"At minus 30, it only takes 30 seconds," he said. "So at 10 degrees, it can take several minutes, but it can happen pretty quickly. Their skin will become red initially. It will become painful, and they'll have a burning sensation. And then eventually, as limbs start to freeze, they become pale and insensitive, and the pain goes away."

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