A cold weather advisory is in place until 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, with a good chance for more to be issued later this week. Wind chills of 30 below zero or colder are possible.
“We’ll get a bit of a break in the action on Wednesday, highs back in the teens, followed by a reinforcing shot of cold air that gets in here Thursday into Friday,” said Chief Meteorologist Geoff Weller with NBC12 in Rhinelander. “The coldest air of the season, so far, will be Friday into Saturday. We could have some low temperatures this weekend, down near 28 degrees below zero, so definitely extreme cold has settled in over Wisconsin.”
While cold weather is nothing new for northern Wisconsin and the U.P., a prolonged period with subzero temperatures are not as common.
“We don't do zero very often for long stretches in Wisconsin, especially coming off a couple warmer winters where we're just kind of not used to this,” said Weller.
Right now, the extended forecast through the end of January shows temperatures staying below average, according to Weller. The average temperature this time of year is 22 degrees.
“We're going to end January with the cold out there now, likely these reinforcing shots of cold air keep coming around, where you get a day or two with temperatures well below zero, and then it kind of moderates a bit,” said Weller. “Right now, there's no real break to this pattern changing. On the flip side of that, though, when you get these arctic air events like this, they tend to push away the heavier snow makers, so there isn't a lot of heavy snow in our forecast either.”
Human health
At these temperatures, it doesn’t take long for a person’s health to be impacted.
Exposed skin can start to develop frostbite within 10 to 30 minutes.
Hypothermia is another concern. People, especially the elderly and very young, can struggle to produce heat fast enough to stay warm.
As WXPR has previously reported, this can even happen inside the home.
“Maybe your heater is not working, or somebody might have a medical condition where they're not dressing appropriately, we get several patients that come in hypothermic who are actually inside,” said Dr. Bryan Judge, an emergency medicine physician at Aspirus Keweenaw Hospital.
Signs of hypothermia include confusion, shivering, difficulty speaking, sleepiness, and stiff muscles.
If you are going to be outdoors, dress in layers, cover exposed skin, and limit time outside.
House
If you haven’t already, now is a good time to winterize your home.
“A lot of people think they have, you know, four season homes that act more like three season homes,” said Weller.
Plumbing
Frozen pipes are possible at these temperatures.
Copperhead Plumbing owner Ronnie Butkus says he gets calls frequently enough that he encourages people to take preventative measures.
“No one likes dealing with frozen lines or any incidences dealing with their plumbing. It's an inconvenience to them and it can get costly. If you can catch them ahead of time, that's the best option,” said Butkus.
Preventative measures can be as simple as opening your cabinet doors to expose pipes to the warm air in your house. Some people may have to run water, Butkus says to make sure both the hot and cold water are on if you do. Insulating lines can also help.
If you lose water pressure or don’t have any water at all, Butkus says it’s time to call a plumber.
“If you don't have water at all, it could be at that point in time, your lines will be frozen, and then it will take time to heat those lines up, to get them back flowing again, and hopefully they don't burst or break,” said Butkus.
While the frost isn’t too deep at this point, sewer lines freezing is also a possibility. It can lead to drains backing up.
“If you know where your water lines are and your sewer lines are to not plow those areas and to keep off of them, kind of like a septic system,” said Butkus. “If you guys have septic systems, you don't want to be walking around them, because that just allows the frost to penetrate deeper and causes more issues with those lines freezing at that point in time.”
Mobile homes are most susceptible to these kinds of issues, but it can happen to any house.
If you’re going to be away from your house for a prolonged period of time, Butkus recommends shutting water off at the main.
“I always recommend that the clients, if they're not home for an extended period of time, to just shut that off, because then you know that you're not going to have water coming into your house,” said Butkus.
Butkus encourages people to contact a plumber if you have any concerns about your house and best practices.
Keeping your house warm
It can be a challenge to keep your house warm in this weather.
Adding plastic film over windows and putting in weather stripping along doors can help insulate the house. Focus on Energy offers free kits to Wisconsin households that include things like window film, weather stripping, and outlet gaskets.
Double check tanks to make sure you’re not running low on heating fuel.
Never use a stove, oven, grill, etc. to heat your home.
If you use space heaters, place space heaters on level hard surfaces at least three feet from anything flammable. Never leave them unattended and don’t run them overnight.
Install carbon monoxide detectors in your home and quickly move to fresh air if the alarm sounds.
Wisconsin has a winter moratorium in effect until April 15, meaning your utility can’t cut off heat if you get behind on bills. Assistance is available through WHEAP.
Pet Health
Just like people, pets are also impacted by the cold.
Again, it’s a good idea to limit outdoor time. Signs of frostbite in pets include discolored skin, cold and hard to the touch skin, and blisters on skin.
Sidewalk salt can also injure paws. It’s recommended to wipe paws off once you’re back inside.
