Temperatures have plummeted to bring numbing cold and some snow to much of the US this week. High temperatures in many parts of the country including the Midwest struggled to rise above single digit figures. Those types of extremely low temperatures along with wind chills have make it unbearable and dangerous to even be outside. Add in the snow that some areas are getting and the result is a bone chilling combination that is super messy and miserable.
All across the country Thursday there were school delays and cancellations due to cold and inclement weather. There has also been a lot of worry about homeless people and getting to and from work safely. This has been a real busy week weather-wise in much of the country as people living in many states were struggling to stay warm and to keep up with the snow shoveling tasks before them. People were being warned to bring their pets inside and not to spend more than a few short minutes outdoors because it doesn’t take long to get frostbite when the temperatures are bitterly cold.
Many homeowners in the Midwest awoke Thursday morning to discover that their water wasn’t working due to frozen pipes. Even more people who were planning on traveling by vehicle were left without transportation to and from work due to vehicles that refused to start because of the cold. School districts stretching from the South to the Northeast told students and staff to stay home Thursday due to extremely cold temperatures. Many states had wind chill readings below zero with some areas even seeing anywhere from a couple of inches to a foot of snow to add insult to injury.
In Catoosa County in northwestern Georgia, students and staff were told to report to school two hours later than usual Thursday due to temps there dipping as low as -2 with wind chills making it feel much colder. Those schools that were open in districts across the affected areas were telling students to wait for buses inside or in warm vehicles with their parents. They were also directing bus drivers to make stops at homes to pick students up instead of having students wait outside at bus stops. In Detroit, temperatures in the early morning hours on Thursday were in the single digits which prompted over one dozen area districts to cancel classes.
Warming stations were opened in many cites to provide homeless people with a place to stay warm. In New Jersey, police were given the power to move the homeless population into shelters as a way to help them get through this bitterly cold period. Homeless shelters all across the country were busy this week passing out blankets and warm clothing and finding extra places people could spend the night such as community centers, schools and churches.
