Bracing for a brutal blast of cold

Cold noses are in the forecast, with bone-chilling temperature that should have Sedalians taking precautions.

Temperatures are expected to dip this afternoon, with frigid air moving down from Canada, said Mark O’Malley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

"We're looking in the Sedalia area Thursday morning for temperatures to be just above zero, single digits," he said.
The wind, between 15 to 20 miles per hour from the northwest, will make it feel colder than the projected high temperatures in the lower teens.

O’Malley projected a wind chill factor of 15 degrees below zero early Thursday.
The wind draws heat away from the body, making it feel colder, he said.

The cold temperatures will continue through Friday morning.

Sedalia School District 200 Assistant Superintendent Bradley Pollitt said he has kept an eye on the forecast for the past week.
"When that temperature starts to get down to the single digits and the winds start getting 20 miles per hour ... that's when I start to weigh a late start,” for Sedalia schools, he said.

He said he will try to decide whether to have a delayed opening by tonight.

“That way, people will have a little bit more advance notice," he said, and can arrange for child care.

Sedalia students do not go outside for recess or physical education class when temperatures are 25 degrees or lower, including wind chill, he said.

The school does have resources to provide winter-weather clothing for struggling students, he said.

Children headed outdoors should be bundled up, said Dr. Dinah V. Dosdos, a pediatrician with Riverside Pediatrics Inc. in Sedalia.

Dosdos said cold weather tends to dry out mucous membranes, making children more susceptible to the influenza and respiratory syncytial viruses.

“The best things parents can do is have their children vaccinated,” she said.
Children less than a year old are especially vulnerable.

“For the families that have older kids that go to school, they need to wash their hands and even change their clothes” before interacting with younger siblings, she said.

Viruses aren’t the only cold weather hazard.

Dosdos said eczema tends to be worse in colder weather. Parents should make sure
skin stays moisturized to prevent cracking.

Parents should also keep an eye on children while they play outdoors in cold weather.

“Kids will forget they’re very, very cold when they’re outside enjoying their play,” she said.

To prevent frostbite — fingers and the tops of ears are especially vulerable — make sure bare skin is covered. Children with a fever or sniffles should definitely stay indoors.

he common warning that 90 percent of body heat is lost through the head is true for children less than a year old, Dosdos said.

Dosdos said she is concerned most about children that age during this time of year, because they are more susceptible to viruses.
Children — and adults — who want to stay warm should stick to clothing made of natural fibers.

Julie Merrell, owner of Pa Pa Patch Knit Shop, said the warmest materials are wool, alpaca and cashmere.

Animal fibers win out for warmth over both plant and synthetics, she said.

“Acrylic is nice, it’s washable, it’s affordable too,” she said, but “for warmth, it’s not your number one.”

Plant fibers, such as cotton, aren’t as warm as wool or cashmere.

“Think about how the animals keep warm,” she said. “Cotton is more for summer. It’s not as much for warmth.”

Cold can also have an adverse affect on vehicles.

Reece Cooley, owner of Reece’s Automotive, said there are a couple things to remember when driving in cold weather.

“When you stop the vehicle, make sure you turn the wipers off before you shut the car off," he said. Leaving the windshield wipers on can cause damage to the wiper arms or wiper motor when the car starts when wipers are frozen to the windshield.

Drivers should also make sure their windshield wiper fluid is one with a lower temperature range, so it doesn’t freeze, he said.

While drivers don’t have to let their motors run for a long time — unless they want heat in the vehicle — engines do have an ideal operating temperature, so it is worth letting them warm up for a few minutes, Cooley said.

"Most vehicles today, being fuel-injected, you can just get in those and start them. It's good to let them run at least a minute, give idle time to settle down,” he said.

Cooley said he makes sure routine maintenance on his vehicles is done before winter sets in. He checks tire pressure, make sure his coolant level is up to par, changes his oil and checks his brakes, he said.

There should be some relief from the near-zero temperatures this weekend, though there won’t be a return to the 60-degree weather Sedalia saw last weekend.

O’Malley said the weather will return to January averages, with lows in the mid-teens and highs in the mid-30s.