With temperatures slated to drop to record lows over the next few days, multiple agencies are urging county residents to take precautions and be ready for the challenging weather week ahead. According to Katie Gross, meteorologist for the National Weather Service Northern Indiana Weather Forecast Office in Syracuse, 6 to 12 inches of snow is expected to blanket the county tonight through Sunday with extreme temperatures following through Tuesday. She said highs aren’t expected to leave the -5 to -15 degree range, with wind chills between 30 and 42 degrees below zero. If you leave the house, wearing warm clothes, a hat, gloves and scarf is essential. “Frost bite and hypothermia can set in pretty easily,” she said. Gross said data for the Fort Wayne area shows a record low temperature of -24 degrees in January 1918, followed by -22 degrees in January 1985 and -21 in January 1984. “Just looking at temperatures (on Friday), we’ve reached record cold levels,” she said. “Next week is going to be so much colder.” Gross urged residents to have their car well stocked in case vehicles become stuck on the road. Pack blankets, extra water, spare food and extra gas inside vehicles. “You want to keep your heater running at the very least,” she said. Heating homes during the arctic cold system may also be a challenge, but Carol Ousley, energy advisor for Kosciusko REMC, said there are plenty of things homeowners can do to get the most out of their heating systems. She said residents with fireplaces that are not being used this season should make sure to close the damper. If the fireplace is being used, make sure the damper is open. Buying and installing pipe insulation is a precaution homeowners should also consider. “One piece is a couple of bucks and it pays for itself in the first month,” Ousley said. She also advised water heaters should be kept at a minimum of 120 for numerical settings and level A for alphabetical settings. During the day time, drapes should be open to allow for solar gain and to give furnaces a break and closed during the night. Residents can also put plastic coverings over drafty windows as well as use heavy drapes. Rolled towels or rugs should also be placed under doors that are not regularly used and plugs can be installed in unused outlets to keep drafts from entering the home. Should there be a power outage, Ousley reminds residents to keep drinking water stored in the home as well as water to use for flushing facilities. She also said to use flashlights versus candles or kerosene lanterns as those methods are often fire hazards. Though power outages can be common during extreme weather, Kathleen Szot, communications manager for NIPSCO, said the county hasn’t experienced many this season. “Usually the biggest sources of outages are high winds or ice. So when ice builds up on the lines is when you start to have a lot of malfunctions and things go dark,” she said. The county hasn’t had many problems with ice, but Szot said high winds may contribute to some outages during the upcoming cold weather front. To report a NIPSCO outage, go online to www.nipsco.com or download the mobile application. Dr. Craig Hintz, superintendent of Warsaw Community School Corporation, said parents with school-aged children can also use a mobile application to keep up to date on school delays or closures by visiting www.weareclosedtoday.com and following enrollment instructions. Parents can then receive an email, text message or automated phone call alerting them of attendance requirements. With students due back in school on Tuesday, Hintz said the district’s transportation team will be monitoring the road conditions over the weekend. “We also take a look at delaying or canceling when the weather is 20 degrees below zero with the chill factor,” he said. Families can also visit the district website to stay informed on possible delays or closures at www.warsaw.k12.in.us “Our policy is that the earlier we can make a call, the better for all involved …,” Hintz said. “We will make the decision at the earliest possible time in the event of threatening weather.”
