Chill is on the horizon
By From staff reports
Published in News on January 7, 2015 1:46 PM
Wayne County residents are being warned to take precautions to protect themselves and their pets from the cold as a combination of an Arctic air mass and blustery winds tonight into Thursday morning will create dangerous wind chills in the single digits.
The National Weather Service has issued a wind chill advisory for midnight until 10 a.m. Thursday.
The weather will be at its coldest just before sunrise Thursday, said Katie Dedeaux, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Raleigh.
It is during this time period that pipes are in danger of freezing, Goldsboro officials said.
City Public Works Director Jose Martinez recommended closing up any crawl spaces and allowing water to drip from sinks overnight to prevent pipes from freezing.
"If people know it will be freezing, they can do what I'm going to do, which is go to Lowe's and buy insulated covers for any external copper pipes along the foundation wall of the house," chief building codes inspector Allen Anderson Jr. said.
Anderson also said citizens can buy insulated caps for indoor waterspouts, and do whatever they can to increase heat in their home.
"Bump up the thermostat, anything," Anderson said.
Blustery northwesterly winds of 30 to 35 miles per hour are expected today before gradually falling to 20 to 25 mph over night, Ms. Dedeaux said.
While precipitation is in the forecast for the weekend into Tuesday, for now, it looks like it will be rain, she said.
Earlier on, the weather models had hinted at the chance of wintry precipitation. The model now calls for rain, Ms. Dedeaux said. However, there is still uncertainty, she said.
"Call us back at the end of the week," she said.
Wayne County Public Schools officials have also been watching the forecasts closely, said Ken Derksen, director of communication services and public information officer.
Schools will be delayed for two hours on Thursday, Derksen said today.
The schools' transportation department is working to ensure there are no problems with buses starting or running safely.
Goldsboro Fire Chief Gary Whaley said the near or potentially sub-zero temperatures will not impact the fire department's ability to operate.
"We should be fine. We don't foresee any problems except maybe a few more calls for people having problems with their heat," Whaley said.
The Goldsboro Fire Department trucks are kept indoors and the city fire hydrants are what is called dry stem -- there is no water stored inside them and therefore no potential for them to freeze and crack.
Whaley suggested residents seeking to keep warm should take precautions to prevent house fires.
"If they are using a kerosene heater, make sure to use the proper fuel. If they are using a space heater, keep clothing and debris away from them," he said.
The extreme cold can hurt or even kill an outside pet.
Osbone Wilder, a veterinarian with Berkeley Veterinary Clinic, said the really cold weather can cause hypothermia in a dog or cat.
"Anything the cold weather can do to humans, it can also do to dogs and cats," he said. "Some dogs may get cold or wet, and that causes icing on their fur and in between their pads, and that makes their temperature even lower. Some dogs can die from the extreme cold, too."
Wilder said the best thing to do when the temperatures drop is to take your pet inside overnight.
But if you just can't take your animal inside, you should make sure it has a good shelter. A doghouse that's well-insulated with good padding is a must in the extreme cold.
You can also use heated pads, but be careful with them as they can burn your pet.
"If your animal lays on it too much, it can get burned," Wilder said. He said pets can't turn the heating pad down itself when they get too hot like humans can.
Make sure your outside pet has plenty of warm padding in its shelter, too. And make sure it stays dry.
"If you put wheat straw or wood chips in it, change it out frequently because if it gets wet, that makes things worse," Wilder said. "That's going to take heat away from your pet.
"Also make sure your outside animal has unlimited access for fresh, nonfrozen water. If it's frozen, then your pet has to lick a block of ice and that's not good for it. So constantly change the water if it's freezing."
Dogs with medical issues will have a harder time out in the extreme cold, Wilder said, especially if it's a metabolic problem where the dog can't regulate its temperature as well. Also, older dogs can't tolerate the extreme cold as well.
You need to take precautions even if you have an inside pet and just let it out to go to the bathroom, Wilder said.
"Let them out to go to the bathroom and if they want to sniff around and check things out in the yard for a few minutes, then let them," he said. "They may even voluntarily come back in soon. Even though dogs have pads that are pretty thick and tough, watch the pads on their feet for any signs of injury from being outside in the cold too long."
Outside cats will seek out warm places in cold weather and will sometimes go up under the hood of a car.
"It's not a bad idea to honk your horn, bang on the hood or even check under the hood to make sure there's no cat under it before starting your car," Wilder said.