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Published: Monday, February 5, 2007

Deep freeze grips region, closes schools

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When shivering, remember this: Punxsutawney Phil predicted an early spring.

By LINDA M. LINONIS

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

How low will it go?

That's the question that the National Weather Service is trying to answer. And here's the NWS's stone-cold predictions that include Mahoning and Trumbull counties in Ohio and Lawrence and Mercer counties in Pennsylvania.

Both the NWS in Cleveland and Pittsburgh have issued a wind chill advisory in effect until early afternoon Tuesday. So, bundle up when you'll be outdoors, and bring outdoor pets indoors. But even so, we're not at the bone-chillling temperature of 22 degrees below zero that was recorded Jan. 19, 1994, the lowest temperature noted since the NWS began keeping records at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport.

Today, the NWS predicted a high of 7 degrees, but west winds of 15 to 20 miles per hour will lower that to 23 degrees below zero. Tonight doesn't look much better with a 40 percent chance of snow showers. The temperature will dip to 1 degree below zero with west winds of 10 to 20 mph, taking the wind chill factor to 21 degrees below zero.

Those low numbers are the reason most parochial and public schools in Mahoning, Trumbull, Columbiana, Mercer and Lawrence counties were closed today. Check cancellation and closing listings before you leave the house.

Homeless shelters

The bitter cold is bringing more people seeking help to area homeless shelters.

Tim Carthen, coordinator of men's services and case manager at the Rescue Mission of Mahoning Valley, 962 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Youngstown, said, "The average [number] is 70, but we're up to 80-plus, and that includes men, women and children.

Carthen said the facility can sleep 144 people comfortably.

"We're up probably 10 [percent] to 15 percent from last year," he said.

Carthen said he doesn't attribute the increase exclusively to the weather. He noted that some who come to the rescue mission have been evicted from their residences, and others who may be behind on the rent have had water and heat turned off. So, they turn to the mission.

In Trumbull County

In Trumbull County at the Warren Family Mission, 361 Elm Road N.E., Bob Orr, assistant director of public affairs, said, "We have about 50 people on cots, and last year that number was from 20 to 25."

The gym has the capacity for 100 people on cots, he said, but noted that no one who needs a bed for the night would be turned away. "We will do what it takes so that everyone has a bed," he said.

Pastors and area church groups seek out the homeless and try to persuade them to seek shelter, Orr said. Those groups are out from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.

He said the mission's green van goes out nightly to try to find people who need a warm place to sleep when the temperature dips. "We want people to be able to identify the van," he said.

The mission also operates a women's and children's shelter, a renovated house near the mission, with a capacity of 28 to 30 residents. "It's filled now, but we won't turn any one away," Orr said.

Slight improvement ahead

The NWS forecast for Tuesday shows a slight movement upward to 10 degrees and a 40 percent chance of snow showers. But again the west winds 10 to 15 mph make the wind chill value to as low as 21 degrees in the morning. Tuesday night's prediction includes a 30 percent chance of snow showers with low temperature at 3 degrees. The southwest wind shifts to south after midnight.

And for the next few days:

Wednesday: Mostly cloudy with highs of 15 to 20 degrees and chill values as low as 5 below.

Thursday: Partly sunny with a high about 20. In the evening, it will be mostly cloudy with lows to 10 to 15 degrees.

Friday: Cloudy with a 40 percent chance of snow showers and highs in the lower 20s. Friday night will be cloudy with a 40 percent chance of snow showers. Cold with lows around 10.The NWS in Pittsburgh reports comparable predictions for western Pennsylvania.

But take heart. Punxsutawney Phil, that fearless prognosticator of the weather, didn't see his shadow Friday, Groundhog Day. According to German folklore, that means an early spring instead of six more weeks of winter.

Monday, February 5, 2007