Press Release

For Immediate Release

Monday, December 29, 2025

Contact:

Jennifer Rose

Press Secretary, Office of Mayor Paul K. Pernerewski, Jr.

Email: Jrose@waterburyct.org

City of Waterbury Activates Severe Cold Weather Protocol; North End Recreation Center to Serve as Emergency Warming Shelter

(WATERBURY, CT) – In response to dangerously cold temperatures and in accordance with Governor Ned Lamont’s Severe Cold Weather Protocol, Mayor Paul K. Pernerewski, Jr. has announced that the City of Waterbury will activate its Severe Cold Weather Protocol beginning at 6:00 pm tonight, Monday, December 29, through Sunday, January 4, at 12:00 pm.

Forecasts indicate that unusually cold temperatures combined with strong winds will persist throughout the week. Wind chill values are expected to fall into the single digits late tonight and early Tuesday morning as strong northwest winds develop. While wind chills Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning may hover near protocol thresholds, a much colder air mass is expected to arrive late Wednesday into Thursday. From Thursday through early Sunday, wind chill values are likely to fall to zero or below during the morning hours across many inland communities.

To protect residents during this period of extreme cold, Mayor Pernerewski has directed the North End Recreation Center to operate as an emergency warming shelter. The facility will extend its operations in response to the Governor’s severe cold weather protocols through Sunday, January 4, 2026, at 12:00 pm.

Current warming center locations and hours through Sunday, January 4th include:

• North End Recreation Center
  268 North Main Street
  Open 24 hours a day
• St. Vincent de Paul Mission Shelter
  114 Benedict Street
  Open 24 hours a day
• Center for Human Development Hospitality Center
  690 East Main Street
  Open from 8:30 am. to 1:30 pm.
• Waterbury Senior Center
  1985 East Main Street
  Available to senior citizens from 9:00 am. to 2:00 pm.

Additional assistance and resources are available by calling Connecticut 211, operated by the United Way.

City officials urge residents to take appropriate precautions during this period of extreme cold and to check on elderly neighbors, family members, and others who may be vulnerable to these conditions.

For updates and additional information, residents are encouraged to monitor www.waterburyct.org and local weather advisories.