Severe cold will sweep into region this weekend

Wintry weather is predicted for the Cape Girardeau region this weekend. While snow accumulations haven't been determined, one thing is certain: brutal cold.

Temperatures are expected to hit lows not seen since 1996.

According to a special weather statement issued Thursday by the National Weather Service, Monday and Tuesday will be the coldest days of the week, with high temperatures in the single digits and teens. Low temperatures during that time will be near zero or below, the statement said.

David Humphrey, a forecaster with the NWS in Paducah, Ky., said the Canadian cold-air system coming this weekend may start as rain, then turn to snow Sunday afternoon. The high temperature Sunday will be near 32 with a low of 7 on Sunday night, the NWS website said.

Monday will be partly sunny with a high of 11 and northwest winds of 11 to 13 mph with gusts as high as 20 mph. Monday night will be partly cloudy with a low of minus-1, the site said.

According to the special weather statement, wind chill readings will be from minus 10 to minus 20 at times. These will be the coldest temperatures seen in the area since February 1996, the statement said.

Tuesday temperatures will warm somewhat to 16 degrees. Wednesday will bring a chance of snow and sleet with a high of 27 degrees, the site said.

A dusting of snow fell in Cape Girardeau on Thursday with temperatures expected to reach a high of 25, the site said.

On Saturday night, rain and snow are likely with cloudy skies and a low around 30 degrees. Sunday, rain and snow are likely, turning to snow in the afternoon, the site said.

No official warming centers were scheduled to open this weekend as of Thursday afternoon, but officials said libraries, the mall, Osage Centre and other public buildings could be used as places to warm up.

After last month's snow and ice storm, the Missouri Department of Transportation and Cape Girardeau County officials said salt supplies are replenished.

Associate Cape Girardeau County Commissioner Paul Koeper said the county has bought an additional 80 tons of salt in preparation for future snowstorms. The early December snow and ice storm "required us to use the allotment we had set up for this season," Koeper said in an email to the Southeast Missourian.

"We normally use about 70 [to] 100 [tons] of salt for the county roads in our county," Koeper wrote. "Two years ago, we started making salt brine and placing it on trouble spots/steep inclines on our county paved roads. We average about 80 tons per year. It appears right now we will at least double that."

Steve Cook, assistant public works director for Cape Girardeau, on Thursday said the city is in pretty good shape to combat any snow or ice that comes this way.

"We put salt down this morning. We'll be putting down some salt brine today and probably tomorrow to get ready for what's coming in this weekend. We've got eight pickup trucks and eight dump trucks [both] with plows and spreaders lined up in case it snows, and we got plenty of salt. We've got 1,000 tons of salt" or more, Cook said.

The brine creates a barrier between the asphalt or concrete and the ice or snow so it doesn't stick as well and it can be removed more easily, Cook said.

Missouri Department of Transportation assistant maintenance engineer Stan Johnson, whose territory covers 25 counties in southeast and south-central Missouri, said the agency prioritizes roads it clears by traffic count and importance. Interstate 55 is among the top roads, along with Route K, U.S. 61 and Highway 74 through Cape Girardeau, and Highway 34 between Cape Girardeau and Jackson.

Salt is ordered by the ton, Johnson said, and MoDOT began the year with about 20,000 tons for the 25 counties. The state has five to six suppliers. In an average year, MoDOT spends $1.5 million on salt for his region. Johnson said that's about $75 a ton.

"We start the winter based on average usage over the past five years. We keep track of it pretty good. Again, if you have a mild winter, you're going to have some left. It's unusual for us to use as much as we did as early in the year as we did," Johnson said.

Nicole Thieret, customer relations manager with MoDOT, said roads were pretreated before the snow that fell Wednesday night and crews were out working the roads Thursday. The pretreatment is a mixture of salt brine and beet juice.

Earlier Thursday, Thieret said MoDOT's emergency operations center was operating and the department would do what it could with the roads until they were cleared. Roads will also continue to be treated, she said.

rcampbell@semissourian.com

388-3639

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Cold safety tips

With extremely cold temperatures expected over the next few days, the Southeast Missouri Chapter of the American Red Cross offered these tips:

* Wear layers of lightweight clothing to stay warm. Gloves and a hat will help prevent body heat loss.

* Be extremely careful if you have to shovel snow. It is strenuous work, so take frequent breaks and stay hydrated.

* Seek medical attention immediately if you have symptoms of hypothermia, including confusion, dizziness, exhaustion and severe shivering.

* Watch for symptoms of frostbite, including numbness, flushed gray, white, blue or yellow skin discoloration, numbness, or waxy-feeling skin.

* Bring pets indoors. If they can't come inside, make sure they have enough shelter and that they can get to unfrozen water.

* Avoid frozen pipes. Run water, even at a trickle, to prevent them from freezing. Open the kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around plumbing. Move any harmful cleaners and household chemicals out of the reach of children. Keep garage doors closed if there are water lines in the garage.

* Keep the thermostat at the same temperature day and night, which could help avoid a costly repair job if pipes freeze and burst.

* Download the American Red Cross First Aid app for advice on what to do in case of an emergency. The free app is available on Apple iTunes.

Fire safety in cold weather

The Southeast Missouri Chapter of the American Red Cross offered the following tips to avoid fire danger in a news release:

* Never use a stove or oven to heat your home.

* If you use a space heater, place it on a level, hard surface and keep anything flammable at least three feet away. Turn off space heaters and make sure fireplace embers are out before leaving the room or going to bed.

* If you use a fireplace, use a glass or metal fire screen large enough to catch sparks and rolling logs.

* Never operate a generator inside the home, including in the basement or garage.

* Don't hook a generator up to the home's wiring. The safest thing to do is to connect the equipment you want to power directly to outlets on the generator.