How Sacramento residents can prepare homes for first freeze warning of season
SACRAMENTO — Freezing temperatures expected for the valley for the first time this winter season have people in the Sacramento area preparing their homes for what is to come.
The National Weather Service issued its first freeze warning of the season for the Sacramento Valley starting at 10 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 18 until 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 19. Temperatures are expected to dip anywhere between 30 to 36 degrees Fahrenheit.
Moana Schietinger, the sales manager at Bonney Plumbing, Sewer, Electrical, Heating and Air, said the key to keeping your furnace functioning in the cold is to set the heat to 68 degrees and never turn it off.
"Having the furnace running will make it so the pipes themselves will not freeze up," she said.
Schietinger added that frozen pipes can be prevented by wrapping a towel around outdoor pipes and low drip.
"So if you turn on just a little spigot, if it drips a little bit it will keep the water running through the pipes and it won't freeze," she said.
Thousands sleeping on the street, who do not have the luxury of a heated home, often turn to other ways to survive the frigid temperatures.
"We definitely see an uptick of cooking fires and warming fires," Sacramento Fire Captain Justin Sylvia said.
Sylvia noted that the department gets multiple homeless campfire calls a day during the winter months. Some of them have created close calls in past years.
Multiple people who live near W and X streets told CBS13 that it is a frequent worry for them.
"Our main concern is what's around that fire because, typically, there will be a tent or other flammable materials around it and we don't want to see that fire grow into something that cannot be controlled," Sylvia said.
From fires to fatal flooding, like what happened on Highway 99 in South Sacramento during the catastrophic winter storms in January 2023, first responders keep busy in the winter.
"They have pumps ready and they are also cleaning out gutters and drainage systems to make sure none of the water that may be an overflow backs up and causes a closure," Caltrans spokesperson Dennis Keaton said.
Keaton said Caltrans crews clear debris from waterways and drains plus warn drivers to take it slow as roads will be slick.
The freeze warnings are going into effect overnight into Tuesday but atmospheric rivers and rain are expected later in the week.