Jan. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Residents of the northeastern U.S. were chilled by frigid temperatures and vicious wind today after an Arctic freeze that generated near-record lows in Minnesota pushed into the region.

The National Weather Service issued a wind-chill advisory for parts of New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. The wind will make temperatures feel as cold as minus 25 Fahrenheit (minus 32 Celsius) for several hours today.

``A wind chill advisory is issued when a strong wind will combine with cold temperatures to create dangerously cold conditions for exposed skin,'' the National Weather Service forecast office in Binghamton, New York, said in a statement today. ``Those planning to venture outdoors should use common sense and dress warmly.''

The frigid weather, which represents the first big cold spell of what forecasters predicted would be a cooler-than-normal winter, was generated by a high-pressure system that moved across the Hudson Bay from the North Pole. Temperatures were near 18 degrees Fahrenheit in Chicago, and 14 degrees in Detroit midday today.

As the arctic weather pushed through the Midwest yesterday, temperatures in Embarrass, Minnesota, dropped to minus 54 Fahrenheit, near a state record of minus 60 set in 1996, Ross Carlyon, a meteorologist with the Twin Cities forecast office in Chanhassen, Minnesota, said.

``It was pretty darn cold up there,'' he said in an interview today.

Frostbite Caution

In Boston, the National Weather Service said temperatures will drop to as low as minus 10 Fahrenheit tonight and warned people to keep ears and hands covered to avoid frostbite.

As of 3:34 p.m., the temperature at the top of the Mount Washington Observatory in New Hampshire was minus 13 Fahrenheit with a wind chill of minus 46 degrees, according to the observatory's Web site.

The record for Mount Washington, the highest mountain in the northeastern U.S., was minus 47 Fahrenheit set in January 1934, said Peter Crane, director of programs at the observatory.

`Ice Cream Headache'

Crane said a day like today requires facemasks and goggles for anyone venturing outside, in addition to the regular winter weather gear of parkas, mittens and boots. As long as a person is dressed appropriately, the cold ``doesn't do too much,'' he said.

``There have been times when I have been adjusting my goggles that it is instant ice cream headache with that cold air rushing in,'' Crane said.

Weather teams stay on top of the mountain for eight-day shifts. They are changed every Wednesday, Crane said.

Crane said because of the mountain's 6,288-foot height and its extreme weather conditions, the environment at the observatory is more like northern Quebec, 1,000 miles to the north.

The cold spell may last as long as 10 days, because the jet stream is expected to keep the arctic freeze over the northeast, Mike Halpert, a meteorologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's climate prediction center in Camp, Springs, Maryland, said in an interview today.

``There will be individual outbursts of generally colder weather and there could be a moderate type of snow event during the weekend, but the details are still sketchy,'' he said.

Before the start of winter, forecasters predicted the season's weather would be about 15 degrees colder than normal, Halpert said.

While the weather on Mount Washington hasn't reached record lows, it was getting too cold for some of the observatory's current staff: They ``ransomed'' Tucks, their stuffed toy penguin, in exchange for warmer weather.

A photo of the toy, blindfolded and sitting on top of a digital read-out of the temperature, is posted on the site.

``Something had to be done,'' Summit Intern Bill Ozanne wrote in his online journal. ``Temperatures on Monday were falling out of control, often more than a degree or two an hour.''

``Our demands were met early this morning shortly after the temperature dropped to minus 29 degrees Fahrenheit,'' he wrote.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jesse Westbrook in Washington at jwestbrook1@bloomberg.net; Brian K. Sullivan in Boston at (1) bsullivan10@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: January 18, 2005 16:24 EST