New Yorkers brace for cold snap, AAA advises winter vehicle prep

NEW YORK (PIX11) -- Get ready for a January cold snap.

Temperatures are expected to be below freezing for the next three days. Afternoon highs will be at around 30 degrees, but it will feel like the teens for much of the day. Morning wind chills will likely be around 10 degrees or colder. 

AAA Northeast is reminding drivers to check their cars now. Vehicle batteries lose 30 percent of their power when the outside air temperature hits 32 degrees. At zero degrees, batteries suffer a 60 percent loss of cranking power.

Keep your gas tank as full as possible to reduce the risk of moisture in the tank freezing the fuel line. Tires should be inflated to the correct PSI as listed on the door frame of your vehicle.

If you have an electric vehicle, AAA spokesman Robert Sinclair tells PIX11 News you need to plug in when parked for extended periods to help maintain battery health and prevent range loss. Use heated seats or a heated steering wheel instead of the full cabin heat because warming an EV creates a significant drain on the battery.

Sinclair also said, "Overwhelmingly the calls we get for EVs are tire problems. Tires are critical to EVs since they are extremely heavy because of all the batteries."

NYC has also issued a Code Blue. All New Yorkers are urged to call 3-1-1 if they see someone sleeping on the street in the sub-freezing temperatures.