The bitter cold arctic blast continues to grip the Northeast and shows no signs of letting up until after the New Year. 

As a temporary relief from the frigid temperatures, the city of Yonkers has opened six warming centers.

Joan Debronsky made her way to the Peter Cheema Center on Riverdale Avenue to warm up and catch up with friends.

"We come in here, we exercise, it's just great," she said. 

While some warming centers are seeing an influx of people, it was different story at the Nodine Hill Community Center. There was not one person there in the middle of the afternoon.

Trevor Ellington, senior activities at the center, said Nodine Hill was "out of the way." 

"Not many people are going to show up here unless they're told to come here," said Ellington. 

Whether they're utilized or not, the warming centers will be open as a welcoming place to escape the bitter cold.
   
"People that are standing outside in the cold or have no heat inside their apartments have a place to come and just have some respite," said Kelly Chiarella, of the Yonkers Office for the Aging. 

Temperatures are not expected to break the freezing mark until Jan. 7.

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