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Tuesday's Extra-Cold Snap Even Had Professional Ice Makers Freezing

But it didn't stop hardy New Englanders: "We had someone walk in right as we opened and she even said, 'Am I crazy for wanting ice cream in this weather?'" said one ice cream store worker

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Kids in Boston and Worcester had Tuesday off from school due to New England's coldest weather in several years. But not everyone got to stay indoors.

"It's cold, cold," said Worcester Polytechnic Institute student Edward Dang.

Devondre Cooper of Worcester said, "This is brutal out here!"

The blast of bitterly cold air and dangerously below freezing temperatures Tuesday had even some seasoned New Englanders feeling frigid outside.

"I would say I'm used to the cold but it's still pretty bad. Coming out here and it's single digits even in the middle of the day -- crazy," WPI student Nathan Willemsen said.

Even the ice expert is cold. At Acme Dry Ice in Cambridge, the company's employees were still working hard outside to fill the day's orders.

"It is cold. It is the same amount of work, and you have to adjust to the weather and it is really cold out here," said Mark Savenor, who's run Acme Dry Ice for the last four decades.

Tuesday was an extremely cold day in the Boston area and across New England.

In fact, there wasn't just demand for ice -- people wanted ice cream as well.

"We had someone walk in right as we opened and she even said, 'Am I crazy for wanting ice cream in this weather?'" said Kristen Rummel, who works at Honeycomb Creamery in Cambridge.

The cold didn't deter people from waiting in line for a COVID test, either. And Crystal Fransico said she felt great doing it.

"Layers, layers, New England layers. Actually, how often do I get to wear my double lined mittens?" she said.

Overnight Tuesday night: Partly cloudy, very cold. Lows in the single digits, below zero north. Wednesday: Increasing clouds, cool breeze. Highs in the 30s.

Worcester Department of Public Works worker Cameron Comptois still got his job salting sidewalks done -- the key is to keep moving, he said.

"It's pretty cold, but once I started working, salting, it just goes away. The adrenaline kicks in and you feel warm," Comptois said.

With school canceled, you might have expected to see kids sledding on the city's Green Hill Park -- but even that was eerily empty.

Many said it's just not worth it to head outside if you don't have to. But it may not be much better inside either!

"Last night, through the house, it was so cold outside, that it was cold inside even having the heaters on, that's how cold it is," Cooper said.

Others saw the season through rose-colored glasses -- fogged up though they may be from the cold!

"Even though it's cold, it's still really nice because this is such a fabulous city," said bespectacled Mary Dee of Worcester.

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