Pittsburghers Bundling Up During Arctic Blast
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- You hear it on the radio.
"It's 12 degrees at Pittsburgh International."
Okay, so it's not balmy. And nobody gave you a ticket to Miami for Christmas.
KDKA's Mary Robb Jackson Reports:
"There's no such thing as bad weather, there's just bad preparation," said one young man braving the cold.
Fair enough, but the Mercury is falling and the next arctic invasion is forecast for next Monday and Tuesday.
Records at the Heinz History Center track cold temperatures. We've had some doozies, like 1994, with a run of sub-zero days.
Chief Librarian Art Louderback hasn't forgotten. His wife was pregnant with their son, Sam.
"In 1994, it was 22 degrees below zero on the 6th of January," said Louderback. "She started crying because she did not want to go out with the baby."
At Allegheny General Hospital, Dr. Brent Hardman had already treated three patients for frostbite before noon.
"Cold-related injuries and hypothermic-related injuries coming in to the emergency department," said Dr. Hardman. "Especially that are prevalent on people's hands or feet or even nose as that can be the exposed part, as well as earlobes."
On Friday morning, 24-year-old Odin Gray set out on his bicycle for the six-mile ride from his home in Regent Square to his job at REI on the South Side wearing protective gloves and more.
"It was about 9 degrees and it was 8:45 [a.m.] when I left," said Gray. "The important thing is base layering. Underneath this, simple long john - anything you can get at Wal-Mart, and I have a nice insulated jacket."
Topped off with a wind and waterproof jacket.
The nearly 30,000 students in the Pittsburgh Public Schools had the day off because of cold and roads.
KDKA's John Shumway Reports:
Superintendent Linda Lane changed a two-hour delay to a closure at 7:30 a.m., sending parents scrambling.
The District issued this statement: "The decision to delay or close schools is very complex. At this tim, we have not made any decisions regarding delays or closures for next week, but we are monitoring conditions. The safety of students is the number one factor in any winter-related decision that we make."
Gray isn't sweating the 2 degrees predicted for Tuesday though.
"On Tuesday, I think I'm gonna have to cover my face a little bit," he said.
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