Cold weather shelters in Kitsap to remain open over the weekend due to below freezing temps

Kai Uyehara, Kitsap Sun
·2 min read
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Severe weather shelters in Kitsap County will remain open this weekend as overnight temperatures are projected to stay below freezing.

The Silverdale Community Church, Village Green Community Center, Port Orchard United Methodist Church and Gateway Fellowship in Poulsbo opened their doors as emergency cold weather shelters on Thursday, before the mercury fell into the teens overnight with a small amount of snow mixed in, and will continue their operations through Monday night, Kitsap County Department of Emergency Management spokesman Dave Rasmussen said. Check in is open from about 6 to 9 p.m. at each location. Those needing transportation to the closest shelter can call 360-373-3000 to arrange for a ride before 7 p.m.

The Kitsap County area could see a record lowest high temperature Friday, said National Weather Service forecaster Kirby Cook from the Seattle/Tacoma office.

“We'll see a gradual warm up starting early next week, but it's still going to be unusually cold,” Cook said. “This time of year, overnight low temperatures are normally in the mid-thirties.”

The National Weather Service predicts a high of 20 degrees and a low of 16 degrees today, January 12. Saturday brings a low of 19 degrees and a high of 26 degrees, while Sunday could see a low of 24 degrees and a high of 31 degrees.

“We just want the whole of Kitsap County to take extra steps of precaution because hypothermia is a significant risk for anyone who is outside in these cold temperatures for an extended amount of time,” Rasmussen said, advising residents to minimize their time in the extreme cold and keep emergency supplies in their car if they choose to drive over the weekend.

Though little snow materialized, some schools in Kitsap County operated on a two-hour delayed start Friday, in an abundance of caution for the sub-freezing temperatures and potential for ice.

Daytime warming stations have also opened up throughout the county with the help of community organizations, Rasmussen said. Locations for warming stations, such as Kitsap Regional Library branches, the YMCA and the Salvation Army's winter shelter can be found online at the Department of Emergency Management website.

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Kitsap County shelters to stay open due to below freezing weather