With an artic blast ready to hit the region --forcing the National Weather Service to issue a Wind Chill Warning through 1PM Saturday afternoon, some school district have called off classes today.
Springfield, Holyoke, Chicopee and Westfield Schools have called off classes today. Most of the concern is over kids walking to and from school.'
One school district that is staying with business as usual is in the West Springfield School system where officials say it is a normal day - but kids will not be allowed out of the building.
Emergency Room Doctors tell us that as cold as it is going to be, with wind chills in some cases around 30 below in some parts of the listening area, frost bite is a major concern. It can cause problems within 5 to 10 minutes. So if you have to go out you are advised to layer up and keep your outdoor time down to as short as possible.
As for your car- today is a good day to make sure your battery is in good shape. At these sub-freezing temps Mary Maguire over at Triple A New England says that a car battery's power can be cut in half. And she says you should have an emergency kit in your car with snacks, flashlight, reading glasses and battery cables just in case.
AMR is advising that it will not operate a Covid Testing Site at the Eastfield Mall either today or tomorrow.
(Photo by MARK FELIX/AFP /AFP via Getty Images)
Photo: Getty Images