Bitter cold, below-zero wind chills expected
Below-zero wind chills today and Thursday prompted a weather advisory for much of southwest Ohio, but the timing of the system offered one positive: children are out of school.
A wind-chill advisory — the first of the season — began at 10 p.m. Tuesday and was expected to last until 11 a.m. today. The advisory is in effect for most of the region, except Butler and Warren counties.
Wind chills will be below zero at times this week, ranging from zero to -15 this morning and Thursday morning.
Students on holiday break can stay indoors, Storm Center 7 Meteorologist Kirstie Zontini said, instead of standing at bus stops in the early morning hours.
“Wind chill is a ‘feels like’ temperature,” Zontini said. “It is based on our bodies’ losing heat because of the cold and wind.”
Wind can make it feel colder outside because it pulls heat away from your body.
The actual temperature today and Thursday morning will be in the low single digits in the area. Today is set to be the coldest morning this December.
Afternoon temperatures for the rest of the week won’t climb above the 20s.
Zontini said it is too cold to leave pets out for an extended period of time. And people who are stepping outside to make some post-Christmas returns or make the commute to work should make sure to wear gloves, scarves and especially hats this week.
“It is really important to wear
hats, as we lose most of our body temperature from our heads,” Zontini said.
With temperatures this cold, frostbite can begin in less than 30 minutes.
“The wind can just whisk body heat away, so make sure to cover every bit of your body when you go outside,” Zontini said.
Snow on the ground aids in that escape of heat, she said.
Zontini and the Ohio Division of Wildlife advised that people and pets stay off ice that forms on ponds, rivers and lakes in the area. Ice needs to be at least 4 inches thick before you can walk on it. “Cloudy” ice that freezes and thaws over and over again is not stable to walk on.
“I wouldn’t advise anyone to walk on the ice,” Zontini said.
Brett Beatty from the Ohio Division of Wildlife agreed.
“If there’s not a reason to be on the ice, it’s better to stay off of it,” Beatty said.
There won’t be a lot of snow over the next few days. Chances increase towards the start of the weekend.
But when it does snow, Zontini said, it will be able to stick to the roads and grass “because the ground has had a whole week to get cold.”
Saturday is the most likely day for snow.
Temperatures New Year’s Eve could be in the single digits again. Contact this reporter at 937225-0586 or email Bonnie. Meibers@coxinc.com.