Category: News

Cold temperatures will continue on Saturday, Christmas Eve, according to the National Weather Service forecast.

The temperature was 7 degrees, with a wind chill reading of minus 6, at 9 a.m. Saturday, according to the weather service.

Wind chill readings continue in the single digits today and below zero this afternoon and evening, the weather service said. Today’s high temperature will rise to 19.

A snow and wintry mix is possible late Christmas Day into Monday morning, according to the weather service. A minimal accumulation is anticipated. Travel could be affected Sunday evening and Monday

Today it will be sunny, with a high near 19 and wind chill values between minus 8 and 2, the weather service said. A northwest wind of 7 to 11 mph will gust as high as 22.

Tonight, it will be mostly clear, with a low of 4, according to the weather service. Wind chill values will be between minus 4 and 1. A west northwest wind of 3 to 7 mph is forecast.

On Sunday, Christmas Day, there will be increasing clouds, with a high near 24, the weather service said. The wind chill will be between minus 3 and 7. A light and variable wind will become south southwest 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon. Winds may gust as high as 21 mph.

On Sunday night, there is a 50 percent chance of snow, with a low of 22, according to the weather service. A south wind of 8 to 10 mph will become west after midnight. Winds may gust as high as 22 mph.

Monday will be partly sunny, with a high near 28, the weather service said. A north northwest wind of 8 to 15 mph will gust as high as 28 mph.

Monday night, it will be partly cloudy, with a low of 9, according to the weather service.

Tuesday, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 36, the weather service said.

Tuesday night, it will be partly cloudy, with a low of 31, according to the weather service.

Wednesday, it will be partly sunny, with a high near 50, the weather service said.

Wednesday night, it will be mostly cloudy, with a low of 41, according to the weather service.

Thursday, it will be partly sunny, with a high near 57, the weather service said.

Thursday night, it will be mostly cloudy, with a low of 39, according to the weather service.

Friday, there is a 30 percent chance of rain, with a high near 53, the weather service said.

Atmos Energy, which serves part of Wyandotte County, is asking customers to conserve natural gas at this time.

A message on the company’s website states, “Due to extreme temperatures and high natural gas demand, we urge customers to conserve natural gas at this time.”

Atmos offered these tips:

Turning down the thermostat a degree or two is one way to conserve natural gas. Atmos suggested lowering the temperature to 68 degrees when home, and 58 degrees when away from home.

Another method is to lower the water heater temperature to 120 degrees.

Let the sunlight in your home in the day, then close the drapes and blinds at night to keep the heat in.

Keep the fireplace damper closed unless a fire is burning.

Make sure air registers and vents are not blocked by furniture or equipment for proper air flow.

Kansas Gas Service Company, which also serves Wyandotte County, stated, “As frigid weather settles over Kansas, energy conservation is key to preventing widespread outage.”

Kansas Gas Service offered several tips:

Keep warm, not hot.

When possible wear additional layers of clothing.

Consider turning down your thermostat and check your programmable settings.

Seal leaks around doors and windows.

Apply weather-stripping or caulk to seal gaps and cracks around windows and doors to stop air leaks and prevent energy loss. If that is not an option, you can also cover windows with towels, sheets or plastic to help keep the warm air in your house. Seal air leaks in your unfinished basement, particularly along rim joists and sill plates. Add an airtight door to your fireplace to keep heated air from escaping through the chimney.

Reduce the temperature on your water heater.

Set the temperature on your water heater to 120 degrees Fahrenheit or put it on the “warm” setting. If your home will be vacant for two days or more, set the dial to the pilot position for even more savings.

Close blinds and curtains.

This helps keep warm air inside, especially if the sun is not shining. When the sun is shining, open drapes on the south-side windows to take advantage of free heat from the sun.

Change or clean filters.

A clean filter on your furnace can lower your energy consumption by 5% to 15%. Dirty filters cost more to use and overwork the equipment.

Hold off on doing chores.

Doing laundry and washing dishes can both use natural gas to heat the water and your dryer. If you can, wait until the extreme cold weather passes to complete these activities. If you cannot wait, use the cold setting where possible.

Install foam gaskets on switches and outlets.

Electrical switches and outlets can account for up to 10% of your home’s energy loss.

Change rotation of ceiling fans.

Hot air rises, so reverse your ceiling fans to a clockwise rotation to push that warmth back downward.

Additionally, remember these safety tips during cold weather:

Never use your stove or oven for home heating.

Make sure nothing obstructs a furnace’s air intake and that vents and flues are intact and unblocked to avoid the potential of carbon monoxide poisoning.
When removing ice and snow in the vicinity of meters, vents or flues, do so carefully so as not to cause damage.

Leave cabinet doors open, especially those on exterior walls, to reduce the risk of frozen pipes.