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Tuesday morning’s temperature hovered around 9 degrees, but the wind chill made the air feel like minus 7. CHARLEE BEASOR/FLYER PHOTOS

January 6, 2010

Experts say could be coldest in 25 years

BY CHARLEE BEASOR The Hendricks County Flyer Wed Jan 06, 2010, 08:44 AM EST

It’s cold. That’s no surprise — just step outside and you’ll feel it immediately.

But it’s not just Central Indiana feeling the arctic chill, the cold has stretched from Chicago down to Florida, which has experienced close to freezing overnight temperatures.

Joe Bastardi, AccuWeather.com chief meteorologist and expert long range forecaster, said the 2009-10 winter will be the coldest in 25 years.

“It’ll be like the great winters of the ‘60s and ‘70s,” he said in a press release.

AccuWeather.com says the last time the cold weather covered such a large area was in January 1985. That event saw below-zero temperatures stretching from Chicago eastward to New York City and south to Macon, Ga.

Bastardi said that the biting cold is usually limited to one area of the country, not covering one half of the nation.

Temperatures also have not been this low since the winter of 2002-03, which meteorologists use as the measure for frigid conditions in the last decade. Still, those temperatures were limited to one region and were not as widespread as they are now.

Monday and Tuesday mornings across Hendricks County saw temperatures hovering around 8 degrees Fahrenheit, though the wind chill made both mornings feel around minus 7.

Ed Terrell, hydro-meterological technician for the National Weather Service in Indianapolis, said arctic air filtering down through the jet stream is causing the freezing temperatures.

“The lowest temperatures are among the coldest on record,” he said.

According to the Indianapolis National Weather Service Forecast Office website, www.weather.gov/ind, the last time a new year began on a colder level was in 1940.

Terrell said the forecast for Hendricks County for the rest of the week calls for low temperatures and some snow tonight and into Thursday morning.

“It looks like we’ll have a low Wednesday of 16 and a high Thursday of 23,” he said. “Wednesday is looking at a pretty good shot of accumulating snow to move in, at about 60 percent. Looks like perhaps an inch or two for late Wednesday night into Thursday. Thursday will see a low of 11, with a high Friday of only 16. Friday night is a low of 3, Saturday a high of 14, Saturday night a low of 3, Sunday with 21, and Sunday night at 9.

“We don’t see an end to the real cold air in the near term,” he warned.

Though Terrell said the long-range forecast showed that there was no clear-cut determination of how the temperatures would go.

“There are equal chances and it could go either direction,” he said. “It could go either way.”

SIDEBAR:

Cold weather auto preparation tips from AAA

Cold weather can adversely affect automobiles in a number of ways. Tire pressure can drop considerably, batteries become less effective, engine belts lose a certain amount of flexibility, and hoses are put under a lot of stress.

AAA Hoosier Motor Club offers these tips to keep your automobile running smoothly during frigid temperatures:

n Make sure your gas tank is filled up at least half way to avoid gas line freeze-up.

n Be sure tires are property inflated.

n Spray WD-40 or another general purpose lubricant into key holes to prevent frozen locks.

n Be sure to pack a bag of abrasive material (sand, salt, or cat litter), a small snow shovel and snow brush, traction mats, a flashlight with fresh batteries, window-washing solvent, gloves or mittens, an ice scraper, cloth or paper towels, booster cables, a blanket, warning flares or triangles, and a fully-charged cell phone with emergency numbers.

n Do not wash your car, especially if it’s going to sit outside.

n Have the battery and charging system tested. A fully-charged battery in good working condition is necessary to start an engine in cold weather.

n Have the brakes checked to ensure they work properly and apply smoothly. Good brakes help prevent wheels from locking on slick surfaces.

n Make sure the engine coolant provides anti-freeze protection down to the lowest temperatures likely to be encountered.

charlee.beasor@flyergroup.com

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