WORCESTER, Mass. — In Worcester, there’s simply no escape.
The thermometer reads 13 degrees, but the feels-like temperature is 5 degrees.
“It’s a freezing day today. It’s a day you want to stay inside and not start the vehicle because you might get a dead battery,” Joe Care said.
“I’m used to the cold. I prefer the cold. But im also wearing four layers of clothes under, so that’s really helping me a lot, too,” said Jaquelyn Morales
Across town, at Rocky’s Ace Hardware, there’s a fresh pallet of wood pellets on the floor, but like all the shovels and ice melt, supplies are going fast.
“Ran out of shovels, ran out of salt, ran out of ice melt, that hasn’t happened for quite a while,” store manager Ray Pope said.
“How much of a difference do the pellets make?” Boston 25 Reporter Bob Ward asked Dan Voellings.
“It helps. It does help, I’m not running the heat, the furnace is staying quiet, as long as I have pellets, it seems to be adequate,” Voellings.
It is so cold here, the city of Worcester has opened a warming center at the senior center, and it’s advising residents to watch for signs of frostbite, to safely heat their homes, and to check on neighbors and elders.
At Elm Park, Michael Smith is enjoying some time exercising his dog, Argyle, but it’s not easy.
“Absolutely freezing, I don’t have gloves on at the month, my fingers gonna be real cold, which I absolutely don’t like,” Michael Smith said.
So, it’s January in Worcester, and it is brutally cold, but it’s also good to remember that these temperatures won’t last!
“Book a flight, take some time off, recharge,” said Joe Care. “And come back later to deal with the shoveling.”
“Someplace tropical, I hope?” Ward remarked
“Yes, sir,” Care said.
The week ahead looks like there could be some relief
Temperatures forecasted to soar…all the way up to “just below freezing.”
That’s 20 degrees warmer than it is right now; it’ll probably feel like a heatwave.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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