WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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An arctic blast struck Bloomington this past week, putting temperatures as low as -5 degrees Fahrenheit with wind chills below -10 degrees Fahrenheit. During this same time last year, the average temperature was 37 degrees Fahrenheit and the wind chill was around 30 degrees.
Coming on the heels of 2023 being the warmest year on record, this cold spell is to be expected according to James Ryan, an IU Ph.D. candidate specializing in weather patterns and cold extremes.
“It has been one of the coldest weeks you get in a typical year, even colder than you’d find in a lot of years. So it is extreme, but nothing we haven’t seen before in the Midwest. But a similar event will probably happen again in a couple years, and it will probably keep being that way,” said Ryan.
He added that this weather is not a direct result of a changing climate.
“We live in the northern United States, which is a region that gets cold sometimes. The global average temperature has increased by about one degree Celsius, or about two degrees Fahrenheit, which is a large and unambiguous signal. But that’s not enough to mean that the Midwest will stop having winters,” he added.
Despite the arctic temperatures, Bloomingtonians have been trying to proceed as normal. Bloomington native Cat Seltz said while it changes her daily desires and goals, she enjoys the weather.
“It makes me want to snuggle it makes me want to cook and read and really enjoy the sun coming into my house,” said Seltz. “It’s like taking a cold shower taking that plunge in the lake, and just give your system a teeny bit of a shock each day to get your metabolism woken up.”
Seltz was raised in Bloomington, but has since lived in many places in the country. She said that this past week was nothing compared to Minnesota winters.
Plummeting winter temperatures pose an impact on utilities we take for granted, such as water, vehicles, and electricity. Bloomington Utilities suggest allowing water to drip from faucets, leaving cabinet doors open, and covering outdoor water lines to prevent pipes from freezing. For vehicle safety, check your vehicles’ tire pressure and antifreeze levels and keep a winter safety kit in your vehicle.
In extreme cases, low temperatures can cause ice build-ups on powerlines, leading to power outages. In the case of a power outage, Interim Fire Department Chief Roger Kerr says it’s important to be careful with alternative heating measures.
“Trying to stay warm, people will start to burn wood or whatever they have, which can lead to fire,” said Kerr. “People just have to be really cautious about using alternate forms of heat to try to stay warm other than their furnaces.”
If you are in need of a warm place to go, Bloomington Fire Department Stations 1 and 2 are staying open as warming stations until January 20th.
“Emergency Management Agency of Monroe County asked us if we would have a couple warming stations in our fire houses. So we have two fire stations, this one here and one on Franklin Drive which is on the west side that are warming stations from 8-6, which started on Saturday and runs to Saturday, this coming Saturday. So between those hours somebody could come in, warm up and get a chance to kind of get the chill off and then the shelters open back up at 6 and then they could go back to a shelter in the evenings.”
Other warming stations are available around Bloomington and Monroe County. The full list can be found below:
- Bloomington Fire Station 1 (Headquarters), 226 S. College Ave.
- Bloomington Fire Station 2, 209 S. Fairfield Drive
- Ellettsville Fire Department Headquarters, 5080 West Ind. 46, Ellettsville
- Monroe Fire Protection District–Perry, 3953 S. Kennedy Drive
- Monroe Fire Protection District–Clear Creek, 9094 S. Strain Ridge Road
- Monroe Fire Protection District–Indiana Creek, 8019 S. Rockport Road
- Monroe Fire Protection District-Bloomington, 5081 N. Old Ind. 37
- Monroe Fire Protection District-Van Buren 2130 S. Kirby Road.
