Arctic air blows into area

By Teresa Stowell of the Daily Times staff
Tuesday, January 13, 2009 12:51 PM CST

Butch Nelson is well-bundled against this morning’s single-digit temperatures while clearing neighbors’ properties of snow along East Division Street. Forecasters anticipate some of the coldest weather of the season to move into the area over the next several days. (JOHN HART/Daily Times)

The arctic air blasted its way into the area following a few inches of snow as many cities saw temperatures in the single digits with wind chills well below zero this morning.

According to the National Weather Service Station in Sullivan Watertown was at 1 degree at 10 o'clock this morning with a windchill of 16 below. Juneau was particularly chilly this morning with temperatures at -3 with a windchill of 25 below. The coldest area in the state recorded by the National Weather Service Station this morning was near Superior with temperatures at 24 below with no windchill.

“The rest of the week the arctic air lows will be well into the negative numbers with highs into the single digits,” Penny Zabel, meteorologist with the National Weather Service Station, said. “Thursday is expected to be the coldest day with below zero temperatures all day and winds looking 10 to 15 miles per hour.”

Zabel said another round of snow is in the forecast with 2 to 4 inches expected early Wednesday morning into the afternoon. The arctic temperatures are expected to break over the weekend with highs in the teens and 20s.

Johnson Creek School District was one of the only districts in the area to cancel school. School officials from the district decided to cancel classes this morning after driving various town and county roads.

ADVERTISEMENT

“We had terribly drifting snow this morning,” Superintendent Mike Garvey, said. “With the expectation of the cold temperatures we decided to pull the plug. In hindsight at this moment maybe we should have just had a two hour delay, but the drifts were extremely bad on our east and west roads.”

To determine the status of today's classes, Garvey drove roads through the eastern part of the district at 5 a.m. today while the district's transportation director drove on roads in the western part of the district.

All after school activities have also been canceled at Johnson Creek, with the basketball game rescheduled for Feb. 16 and the elementary craft night postponed to an undecided date.

The state's Emergency Management department reminded residents to be aware that these cold temperatures can cause frost bite and hypothermia. Frostbite is damage to body tissue caused by extreme cold. A wind chill of -20 could cause frostbite in just 15 minutes or less. Frostbite causes a loss of feeling and a white or pale appearance in fingers, toes, ear tips or the tip of the nose.

Hypothermia occurs when the body temperature drops below 95 degrees. Warning signs for hypothermia include uncontrollable shivering, disorientation, slurred speech and drowsiness.

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection advises people to not only protect themselves with warm clothes in the bitter weather but to also be considerate of animals.

“Animals can suffer from hypothermia, frostbite and other cold weather injuries, and harsh conditions can weaken their immune systems, leaving them vulnerable to illness. You need to think about extra nutrition, access to water, plenty of good bedding and proper shelter for both pets and livestock,” Dr. Yvonne Bellay of DATCP, said.

Vehicles also need special attention in the arctic temperatures and snow covered roads.

Dennis Gibson, of D & R Auto, in Reeseville, said an important part of operating a vehicle in the cold weather is to keep the battery terminal clean and the battery charged.

“You also need to make sure your tires are good snow tires,” Gibson said. “Generally you can leave your vehicle warm up for say 5 to 10 minutes but any longer than that and you're wasting gas. Remember to keep the garage door open when you're warming up the car.”

Gibson said another important part of preparing a vehicle for the cold temperatures is to make sure the antifreeze is good in the car. While some say not to use windshield wiper fluid on cold days, Gibson said most solutions will work up to 40 below with the windchill.

Each vehicle should have an emergency kit on hand that can include blankets or sleeping bags, flashlight with extra batteries, first-aid kit, shovel, tools, booster cables and windshield scraper, high-calorie non-perishable food and sand or cat litter to use for traction.