Very cold weather settling into North Carolina for the start of the New Year

North Carolina is about to endure a week, possibly 2 weeks, of very cold weather.

Overnight lows are expected to drop to the teens to 20s for a prolonged period of time. These home heating tips are among those provided by Progress Energy's website:

• Never use a generator indoors. Always follow manufacturer instructions.
• Keep at least one battery-powered flashlight where it can be located easily in the dark. Listen for storm information on a battery-powered radio. Keep an extra supply of fresh batteries.
• Make sure you are adequately stocked with canned goods and bottled water.
• Make sure any indoor heaters, such as wood stoves or kerosene heaters, have adequate ventilation to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. Likewise, make sure the flue of your fireplace is working properly. Never use outdoor grills in the house.
• Make sure you have adequate fuel on hand for supplementary heating sources, such as a fireplace, wood-burning stove or kerosene heater.


This announcement from the National Weather Service, Raleigh:

A VERY COLD ARCTIC AIR MASS WILL SURGE INTO CENTRAL NORTH
CAROLINA FRIDAY NIGHT... WITH INTENSE COLD EXPECTED THROUGH THE
WEEKEND. LOWS OVER THE WEEKEND WILL FALL INTO THE TEENS. THIS WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS BETWEEN 15 AND 25 MPH. WIND CHILL READINGS WILL DIP TO AS LOW AS 5 TO 10 DEGREES SATURDAY. THIS WILL ONLY BE THE BEGINNING OF A LONG DURATION COLD SPELL WHICH SHOULD LAST WELL INTO NEXT WEEK. OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL DIP WELL DOWN INTO THE TEENS EACH NIGHT.

CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA TYPICALLY EXPERIENCES A COLD SPELL EACH
WINTER IN WHICH CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA FALLS TO BETWEEN 10 AND 15
DEGREES. HOWEVER... THE DURATION OF THE COLD USUALLY LASTS ONLY A DAY OR TWO.

THE EXPECTED DURATION AND INTENSITY OF THIS COLD EVENT WILL BE A
VERY UNUSUAL OCCURRENCE. THE COLD WILL BE NEARLY CONTINUOUSLY
REINFORCED BY A COUPLE OF VERY STRONG ARCTIC HIGHS. THESE HIGHS WILL
PUSH FROM NORTH CENTRAL CANADA SOUTHWARD THROUGH THE CENTRAL AND
EASTERN UNITED STATES. THIS COLD EVENT WILL LIKELY LAST THROUGH
THE NEXT 7... TO POSSIBLY 14 DAYS... IN WHICH LOWS WILL FREQUENTLY
FALL INTO THE TEENS. THIS WILL LEAD TO MANY HOURS OF SUBFREEZING
TEMPERATURES DURING THE NEXT WEEK. A COMPARABLE COLD SPELL BASED
ON SOME OF THE HISTORICAL COLD EPISODES FROM THE PAST INCLUDES THE
LAST TWO WEEKS OF JANUARY 1977.

PREPARATIONS SHOULD BE MADE NOW TO ENSURE THAT HEATING SYSTEMS
ARE IN STRONG WORKING ORDER... EXPOSED PIPES ARE PROPERLY
INSULATED OR COVERED... CRAWL SPACE VENTS ARE CLOSED. CHECK ON THE
ELDERLY TO ENSURE THAT THEY HAVE ADEQUATE AND SAFE HEATING. IN
ADDITION... REMEMBER THE SAFETY RULES FOR SAFE HOME HEATING. ENSURE PETS ARE PROPERLY CARED FOR. VEHICLES SHOULD BE SERVICED WITH ANTIFREEZE.



January 20-31, 1977, GREENSBORO, NC

Day High Low Average Precip. Snowfall

20 32 17 24.5 T T
21 34 14 24.0 0.00 0.0
22 35 19 27.0 0.00 0.0
23 37 8 22.5 0.00 0.0
24 33 23 28.0 0.10 1.4
25 42 24 33.0 0.00 0.0
26 44 21 32.5 0.00 0.0
27 50 29 39.5 0.00 0.0
28 42 14 28.0 0.01 0.0
29 30 8 19.0 0.00 0.0
30 38 12 25.0 0.00 0.0
31 37 21 29.0 0.00 0.0
January 20-31, 1977, RALEIGH, NC

Day High Low Average Precip. Snowfall

20 33 12 22.5 T T
21 37 9 23.0 0.00 0.0
22 35 12 23.5 0.00 0.0
23 36 8 22.0 0.00 0.0
24 36 18 27.0 0.16 1.8
25 44 23 33.5 0.00 0.0
26 45 20 32.5 0.00 0.0
27 52 31 41.5 0.00 0.0
28 51 18 34.5 T 0.0
29 31 7 19.0 0.00 0.0
30 40 7 23.5 0.00 0.0
31 38 20 29.0 0.00 0.0

Be sure to check with your Weather on the Ones forecast center for updates throughout this cold spell for the latest weather information.