HOW LOW WILL IT GO?
Area braces for extreme cold
EASTON, N.Y. » Bright sun, blue skies and no end to fresh white snow.
A ski operator’s dream come true.
Everything but an unprecedented arctic-like deep freeze, with wind chills expected to hit minus-29 degrees on Saturday, prompting Willard Mountain to close its slopes until Sunday, when 12-above might seem downright balmy.
“We’ve closed before because of high winds, rain and ice,” Operations Manager Keith Mann said. “I don’t recall ever closing because of the cold. That’s the way it is with Mother Nature. You do the best you can with what you’ve got at that time.”’
The situation is extremely frustrating for resort owners, who only a few years ago struggled to make ends meet during a winter with almost no snow at all. Now there’s more than enough, but many people simply won’t venture out in potentially record-setting bitter cold.
The lowest-ever high temperature in Albany on Jan. 6 was 2 degrees above zero in 1896. So that mark will fall if thermometers don’t reach 1-above on Saturday, the National Weather Service says.
“We definitely had push back on our numbers over the Christmas break, somewhere between 30 and 40 percent because of the cold,” said Spencer Montgomery, owner of West Mountain in Queensbury. “The hard-core skiers and people who grew up skiing will always be here because snow conditions are epic. If we get through these two cold days, we’ve got all this snow here, we couldn’t have a better start and I think we’ll make up
ground quickly as temps come back up next week. My guess is Martin Luther King Weekend will be huge, too.”
Monday’s forecast calls for more snow, followed by ideal weather on Tuesday and Wednesday with high temperatures of 33 and 30 degrees, respectively.
Montgomery said West Mountain’s relatively low base elevation, 500 feet above sea level, makes it more comfortable than some resorts, higher up in the mountains, even on the coldest days.
Experienced, die-hard skier Dan Stewart, of Queensbury, prepares for extreme cold by wearing four layers of clothing.
“There’s corduroy (groomed trails) on the mountain,” he said Friday. “We’re going to rip it up for a few hours and then go back inside and get warm.”
He recalled skiing at Killington, in Vermont, about 15 years ago when temperatures were 10-below.
“This weather the next couple days will rival that, I’m sure, but I won’t be skiing in it,” he said.
Troy Mayor Patrick Madden issued a cold weather advisory Friday morning, calling on city residents to take additional steps to stay safe throughout the weekend.
“Without taking proper precautions, extreme cold temperatures can pose a serious risk to personal safety during the winter season,” Madden said in a news release. “Residents are urged to stay indoors this weekend to protect themselves and their families from the severe winter weather conditions that continue to impact our city and region.”
Under the advisory, which remains in effect through Sunday, as well as to free up city workers to assist in plowing snow, the mayor said garbage and recycling pickup will be extended, with garbage or recycling not collected Friday to be collected Monday. Bulk trash pickup was also postponed until Monday.
With high winds also expected throughout the weekend, Madden also asked residents to secure their garbage when placing it curbside for collection. City officials also reminded residents to take steps to prevent household pipes from freezing.
Vehicle problems
Severe cold also wreaks havoc with vehicles including municipal snow plows.
“We had two trucks not start first thing this morning,” Saratoga County Public Works Commissioner Keith Manz said Friday. “We had to work on warming them up to get them going. All trucks will be inside garages tonight (Friday) so they can start Saturday morning. We will continue to salt and sand cold spots, snow drift areas, hills, curves, and intersections given the extreme cold and wind.”
“Hydraulics take a beating in this kind of weather,” said Kirklin D. Woodcock, Wilton highway superintendent. “We’ll get through it. We always do.”
Frozen pipes
In Glens Falls, Rockhill Bakehouse was forced to close Tuesday when pipes froze and its furnace shut down. Owners have prepared for this weekend’s deep freeze by turning the heat up and placing space heaters in areas where pipes are located.
“Thankfully the pipes didn’t burst,” Manager Beth Fitzgerald said. “All’s well that ends well.”
Clifton Park-based International Plumbing responded to more than three dozen calls this week, Operations Manager Jesse Medina said.
“It started New Year’s Eve and hasn’t stopped,” he said. “A lot it is mobile homes where pipes are on the ground with no insulation and no heat tape around them. In these cases, people should keep water dripping. Moving water never freezes.”
For natural gas furnaces, working overtime in the cold, it’s important to install clean air filters. With oil burners, nozzles and filters should be changed, and oil additives can keep things running smooth, Medina said.
Jay Kelcey, co-owner of Boyce & Drake plumbers in Saratoga Springs, offered several other tips.
For heating systems, make sure exterior vents are kept clear of snow and ice. Also, replace thermostat batteries regularly.
To keep pipes from freezing, open cabinets beneath kitchen sinks located on walls that face outside. This surrounds pipes with warm air from inside the house. Also, it’s a good idea to keep air moving in crawl spaces with fans, he said.
Kelcey encouraged people who head South for winter to make sure someone checks their houses regularly, to keep small problems from becoming big ones.
“If the heat goes out you are in trouble,” he said.
Earlier this week, a restroom pipe froze at Stewart’s Shops’ new store in South Glens Falls.
“It was out of service for a short period of time, but the store did not close,” said Maria D’Amelia, Stewart’s spokesperson. “We’ve had very sporadic, unpredictable issues with this level of extreme weather. However, they have all been very brief disruptions as we have crews working quickly to resolve them.”
People without heat
Extended frigid temperatures have literally left some people out in the cold, as their propane gas supplier, Johnstown-based Ferrellgas, has run out of fuel to deliver. The company, in a Thursday statement, said, “it’s working around the clock to make sure our customers receive their propane.”
“Many propane consumers were caught off guard by how quickly these extreme cold temperatures arrived in the region,” the firm said. “We continue to encourage Will Call customers to monitor their propane levels and to contact us when their propane tank is at or near 30 percent. This gives us plenty of time to schedule the delivery.”
In a Friday Tweet, New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman urged anyone without propane to contact his office by calling 1-800-771-7755.