Document text
Brrr! Get out your woolies Medford's overnight low could fall to 18 By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune It's time to fit your outside faucets with insulated cups, cover your crawl-space vents with cardboard and leave a light on inside the well's pump house. The coldest night so far this winter will descend upon the Rogue Valley today, plummeting the already icy temperatures into downright frigid territory. Medford's temperatures likely will plunge to 18 degrees late tonight or early Wednesday morning, and Ashland's will drop to as low as 15 degrees, according to the National Weather Service in Medford. "It will, probably, be the coldest weather of the winter so far," said spokesman Denis Hess. "That's super-cold, for us." Cold enough to burst exposed pipes if the water inside freezes and expands, a calamity that typically sends homeowners scurrying to do the weatherization chores they have put off since November. "Whenever we see a cold snap, we make sure we are well-merchandised and we get it out for the customers, because they'll be coming in," said Kurt Martin, assistant manager of Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse in Medford. Most customers are looking for items that keep exposed water pipes from freezing, Martin said. Top sellers are the foam cups that insulate exterior faucets as well as the poly-foam insulation that is wrapped around pipes, he said. The pipes beneath most homes should not suffer, but homeowners should keep a close eye on their outside pipes - especially those exposed to the north winds, Martin said. "Even if the pipes don't break, they can freeze right up and shut you down," he said. Tonight's cold snap is the low point of a front that moved in Sunday from Canada, sending Monday morning's temperatures down below freezing and triggering anything from snow flurries to some accumulation around the valley. Medford saw nothing but floating flakes that could not accumulate, Hess said. But residents in Selma, for instance, reported close to an inch of snow early Monday. Highs in Medford are expected to hover today and Wednesday around 40 degrees, which is a full 7 degrees below normal, Hess said. No snow is expected today or Wednesday, chiefly because these extra-cold fronts that move straight south carry little or no precipitation since they don't load up with water clouds like the Pineapple Express fronts that move in straight off the coast, Hess said. But some rain or snow is expected Thursday when a new storm front brings precipitation along with cool weather, Hess said. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.