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Today’s forecast is located on Page C6
Bitter cold temperatures are gripping the region for a third straight day and residents are being advised to take precautions.
The high temperature Thursday is expected to be 13 degrees with a low of -7.
“With sub-zero or single-digit temperatures, even the slightest breezes can force the wind chill temperature well below zero,” said Storm Center 7 Meteorologist Carrieann Marit. “A true arctic air mass is in control of our region, which has prevented temperatures from climbing out of the teens for much of the week.”
The impact of the cold has ranged from a slowdown in normal activity with schools and other organizations closing or operating on delayed schedules and reminders of a similar cold snap a year ago.
Marit said this time last year the region was dealing with the effects of the polar vortex, which included a 28-hour stretch with air temperatures below zero at the Dayton International Airport from Jan. 6 to Jan. 7.
“During this time, parts of the Miami Valley saw wind chill values drop to 40 below,” Marit said.
Residents are being urged to be aware of the dangers of the severe cold.
The falling wind chill temperatures create a risk of injury from the cold, according to Dr. Nancy Pook, the director of the Kettering Medical Center emergency department.
“Cold shunts the heat to the core of the body, so that the vessels to the hands and feet constrict. That opens up a potential for cold injuries,” Pook said. “Pay close attention to your digits, your face and neck.”
Early warning signs of cold injury include a pale skin color and numbness. A mild form of frostbite, frost nip, is reversible. But staying out too long can cause permanent tissue damage, Pook said. She said elderly adults with amnesia, those with developmental delays and very young children are at the highest risk.
“If you have someone who walks out of the house without adequate protection, it can be just a matter of minutes before a cold injury sets in,” Pooks said. “It’s very dangerous.”
The biting cold prompted the city of Dayton to open three warming shelters throughout the city. Heated facilities were open to the public Wednesday and will remain open Thursday for anyone needing shelter from the dangerously cold wind chill.
“There are places to sit and activities to do. The primary purpose is to help people get out of the cold,” said city spokesman Bryan Taulbee.
The facilities are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Those in need of overnight shelter should contact a homeless shelter, Taulbee said. He said very few people have taken advantage of the warming centers during the last few years, but that it’s an important service to provide just in case.
The Greater Dayton Recreation Center at 2021 W. Third Street, the Northwest Recreation Center at 1600 Princeton Avenue, and the Lohrey Recreation Center at 2366 Glenarm Avenue were open Wednesday and will remain open Thursday.
The frigid weather also has impacted several businesses across the area, including AAA, which received 1,679 calls for service from the AAA Roadside Rescue Team from Monday through 4 p.m. Wednesday.
“As soon as I’m done with this one, there will be another one right behind it,” said Shawn Cobble, a AAA fleet driver who was jumping the car battery of a vehicle on Marco Lane in Centerville Wednesday afternoon.
Cobble said most of the calls in the cold weather come from motorists who have car batteries fail, but they deal with a variety of calls depending on the conditions.
“(Tuesday) we had a lot of slide offs, pulling people out of ditches,” Cobble said. “A lot of unlocks, people trying to warm their cars up, locking their keys in the car.”
Mechanics at Grismer Tire in Dayton also have seen an increase in customers following the latest winter blast.
Mark Breining, manager at the Grismer on Patterson Blvd., said many of his customers have arrived at the repair shop for tire related issues.
“Typically when they get out and they find that they’re slipping and sliding and don’t feel comfortable they consider doing tire replacements,” Breining said, adding that they also are repairing flat tires and tires knocked out of alignment after sliding into curbs.
Temperatures are expected to return to “near seasonal norms” for the beginning of next week with highs around 30 degrees, Marit said.
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