Chill factor
Folks should prepare for real taste of winter over next few days
The Post and Courier
Firewood seller Herlin Wright loads wood into the back of a pickup truck Wednesday off Mathis Ferry Road in Mount Pleasant. With bitterly cold weather in the forecast, Wright might see an uptick in business over the next few days.
Toasty tips
Some ways to stay warm this weekend:
--Keep homes heated in the 65-68-degree range during the day; 63-ish is good during sleep.
--Layers of clothing work best. Wet clothing loses insulation effect.
--Stick with non- alcoholic beverages: coffee, tea, cocoa, soup.
--Do not use kitchen oven in lieu of heat or a space heater.
--Keep space heaters at least 3 feet away from furniture or flammables.
--Bring in pets.
--Check on the elderly or disabled living alone.
Remember the shorts and T-shirt weather from two weeks ago?
Forget about it.
The Charleston area will begin seeing a blast of stinging arctic weather as soon as tonight.
The National Weather Service predicts local temperatures may not make it out of the 30s during the day Friday, cementing the biggest mercury plunge of winter so far. AccuWeather forecasts a low of 22 overnight but 43 for Friday afternoon.
"The real cold stuff will persist through Saturday," said Bob Bright, meteorologist at the Weather Service's Charleston office.
How cold?
"North of Canada" cold, Bright said.
Saturday morning temperatures will be in the teens and possibly dip as low as the 10-degree mark 40 miles inland.
The Charleston International Airport's record-low temperature for Jan. 17 is 17 degrees — set in 1972 — and the region could be flirting with tying that mark or even breaking it.
Snow flurries aren't expected, but get out your calculators and start preparing for a wind-chill factor that could make it feel like Minnesota in the Lowcountry.
In advance of the drop, public safety agencies are issuing the same traditional warnings Southerners need to hear during any bitter cold snap: pets and livestock should be moved indoors, internal heating and fire hazards should be inspected, and pipe-freezes avoided.
South Carolinians, in particular, could experience a bigger pipe-freeze problem than those in the North because of houses with slab foundations and water pipes running through the attic, insurance agencies warn. A temperature drop to 20 degrees or lower could lead to a pipe freeze. Countermeasures include allowing indoor and outdoor faucets to drip overnight and keeping the house warm inside.
In terms of fire safety, local officials have already seen some areas of concern arise, including in North Charleston, where fire crews responded to a chimney fire this week.
North Charleston Fire Department Battalion Chief Eric Phillips said chimney fires are possible when residue accumulates in the brick space. He advises cleaning them once a year. For space heaters, there should be at least 3 feet of space around them to safely operate, he said.
Other special considerations include taking the time to check on the elderly.
Bottom line: Charleston's unofficial four weeks of winter begins now.
Reach Schuyler Kropf at 937-5551, or skropf@postandcourier.com.
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Comments
jbr1039 (anonymous) says...
Well Libs, hope you are happy! Welcome to Obamaland, where socialism says that everyone be cold and everyone shell out for they're heat! Next thing, we'll get snow, so well have to buy snow shovels like all those Yankees. You can thank King Riley and all the other memebers of the city council who let this happen so they can hamg on to their precious parking spaces downtown. And remember to give that Obamafoon some extra cheers when the bill comes back for all the welfare the illegal immigrants spend while its too cold for them to work.
January 15, 2009 at 5:16 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
HomeGirlie (anonymous) says...
jbr
Don't forget the "assistance" they will receive with their electric bills, even though hard-working American citizens can't "qualify" for the help....
January 15, 2009 at 6:47 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
theronce (anonymous) says...
I just checked my almanac, and it is winter.
January 15, 2009 at 6:49 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
majorjohnson (anonymous) says...
Where the heck is global warming when you need it?
January 15, 2009 at 7:53 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
f0dder (anonymous) says...
Seriously jbr? I mean it's one thing to whine like a kid who always gets picked last, but come one. Republicans apparently have eaten the entire serving of "Fear" from their party and believe Obama is going to give away all of our hard earned money to every poor, homeless and illegal alien and leave nothing for us.
I'm surprised you aren't blaming the cold weather on him, then in the summer blame the heat on him and his policies. Where does it stop??
January 15, 2009 at 8:37 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
wjhamilton3 (anonymous) says...
Global Warming means that weather systems will grow larger and more powerful with an increase in circulation between the poles and warmer regions. Thus, while it is generally warmer, there will be cold snaps, more hurricanes, droughts and floods.
All this cold air coming down here means there is warm air moving north out West. Antarctica, which is having summer now, is seeing huge ice melt as well.
January 15, 2009 at 9:06 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
eyfigueroa (anonymous) says...
"i just checked my almanac..."
Okay that was funny.
January 15, 2009 at 10:17 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
oigres73 (anonymous) says...
It's the penguins' fault! They're coming to the aquarium.
http://www.live5news.com/Global/story...
January 15, 2009 at 11:42 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
iceman1978 (anonymous) says...
It's getting to 22 degrees. Why make such a big deal over this? 22 is nothing.
January 15, 2009 at 1:24 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
number1volsfan1 (anonymous) says...
WJhamilton3
I am in Antarctica (McMurdo Station) right now. We are having one of the coldest summer seasons on record. Our ice caps are holding firmer than in the past 50 years. Where do you obtain your information? Please provide a source!
January 15, 2009 at 2:14 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
number1volsfan1 (anonymous) says...
www.usatoday.com/news/science/cold-sc...
icecap.us/index.php/go/.../a_new_record_for_antartic_total_ice_extent
www.heartland.org/policybot/results.h... - Cached
scienceblogs.com/illconsidered/2006/02/antarctic-ice-is-growing.php - 72k - Cached
January 15, 2009 at 2:19 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
beespencer (anonymous) says...
Iceman1978, people are trying to find someone to blame for the cold weather during wintertime, which I thought is a common occurance. Back 1989, I remember when it snowed here on Christmas Day. I guess people blame that on the incoming president in 2009 too.
January 15, 2009 at 3:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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