The New Year has brought bitterly cold weather to our region, as the National Weather Service has issued a Winter Warning for Thomasville and Thomas County. According to the NWS Tallahassee weather forecast office, the combination of sub-freezing temperatures and a low pressure system developing to our southeast will result in wintry precipitation for our area Wednesday morning. The impacts expected may include freezing rain, sleet, and snow.
“With the Winter Warning now issued for our area, we want to be certain our citizens are aware that travel is expected to be hazardous Wednesday morning,” said Sheryl Sealy, Director of Marketing, Communications & Events for the City of Thomasville. “The National Weather Service has also advised that scattered power outages are possible. City of Thomasville utilities and public safety staff are prepared and will be ready to respond to emergency calls.”
Thomas County Emergency Management Agency has announced that a warming shelter will be opened Tuesday evening at 5:00 p.m. at First Missionary Baptist Church, located at 110 West Calhoun Street. “We’d also like to encourage our community to take precautions now to prepare your home and your family for the freezing temperatures in our forecast,” said Sealy. “Now is the time to make sure you’ve protected your home, family and pets.”
To help Thomasville citizens to prepare, the City of Thomasville offers these winter weather tips:
- Protect your family by having a communications plan. Limit travel during hazardous weather conditions and make sure you check on friends and family (particularly the elderly) that may live alone and might need help preparing for the winter weather.
- Protect your property from water damage resulting from burst water pipes by taking the following precautions:
- Run a water faucet at a thin stream when temperatures are expected below freezing.
- Use insulating materials to cover pipes in exposed or unheated areas. Homes with crawl spaces are particularly susceptible to wind and freezing temperatures, so outdoor pipes should be protected from the elements.
- Insulate or cover exposed backflow prevention devices on fire lines and irrigation systems.
- Drain and remove all outdoor hoses.
- Caulk around pipes where they enter the house.
- Shut off and drain in-ground sprinkler systems.
- Know where your water shut offs are just in case pipes freeze.
- Set your heating thermostats accurately in order to conserve energy and reduce heating costs. The recommended daytime indoor heating temperature is 68 degrees while the recommended nighttime setting is 65 degrees. Customers with electric heat pumps should make sure their thermostats are not accidentally set to Emergency Heat since operating costs are significantly higher in the Emergency Heat mode.
- Prepare for power outages by making sure you have food, flashlights and other heating sources and/or extra blankets. Use caution when using candles or supplemental heating options such as space heaters, kerosene heaters, or fireplaces to protect against fire danger. Thomasville Fire Rescue also offers these fire safety tips for customers using supplemental heating during the cold weather:
- Make sure all combustible materials, such as drapes or chairs, are at least three feet away from any heating unit.
- Avoid using flammable liquids to start fireplaces, and never leave a fireplace unattended.
- Plug electric-powered space heaters directly into an outlet with sufficient capacity and never into an extension cord.
- Have a working carbon monoxide detector if you use gas or propane heat.
- Turn off portable heaters when you leave the room and when you go to bed.
- Check smoke detectors to make sure they are working properly. Thomasville Fire Rescue provides free smoke detectors to residents. Call TFR at 227-4099 to schedule installation or to have your current smoke detectors tested, free of charge.
- Use safety precautions when using generators, candles, or lanterns with a flame during outages. Generator users must be sure they have disconnected the main breaker, as this can be dangerous for utility linemen.
- Be aware of standing water that can freeze during cold temperatures. Make sure you are using handrails and taking extra precautions to maintain safe footing on steps and walkways that could be slippery due to icing.
- Bring outdoor pets inside when temperatures are low, particularly when winter precipitation is expected.
“As of now, the City of Thomasville will observe regular hours of operation on Wednesday morning,” said Sealy. “Should this change, notices will be posted on our website, Thomasville.org, and also on our Facebook page.”