Topeka wind chill drops 41 degrees. Warming center to stay open if enough people volunteer
Topeka's wind chill index plunged 41 degrees, from 27 to minus 14, between 4 p.m. Thursday and 6 a.m. Friday, the National Weather Service said.
It said Topeka temperatures during that time period fell 32 degrees, from 35 to 3, at the weather service office near Philip Billard Municipal Airport in northeast Topeka.
Meanwhile, operators of a warming center set to close at noon Friday decided to keep it open two more days, provided they get enough volunteers to safely run it.
What does the forecast say?
The weather service predicted Topeka would see the following:
• Mostly sunny skies Friday, with a high near 12 and wind chill indices between minus 4 and minus 14.
• Partly cloudy skies Friday night, with a low around minus 6 and wind chill indices between minus 8 and minus 13.
• Sunny skies Saturday, with a high near 12 and wind chill indices between minus 6 and minus 16.
• Partly cloudy skies Saturday night, with a low around 5 and wind chill indices between zero and minus 5.
• Partly sunny skies Sunday, with a high near 31 and winds coming from the south while gusting as high as 35 mph.
• Mostly cloudy skies Sunday night, with a low around 26 and winds coming from the south while gusting as high as 35 mph.
• Cloudy skies Monday, with a high near 38, a 40% chance of rain after 1 p.m. and winds from the south gusting as high as 30 mph.
• Cloudy skies Monday night, with a low around 32 and rain likely, mostly before midnight. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
• Cloudy skies Tuesday, with a high near 39.
How many people have the warming centers served?
The planned closing time for the warming center TRM Inc. operates at 206 N.W. Norris has been moved from noon Friday to noon Sunday, said Kim Turley, spokeswoman for TRM Inc., on Thursday.
Anyone who would like to volunteer to work at the center may click here.
TRM, which operates two homeless shelters in North Topeka, has operated the warming center since late Jan. 8 to provide refuge and rest for those who are unsheltered and living outside.
Valeo Behavioral Health, Fellowship Hi-Crest/SENT and Jerusalem/God's Way Church have opened additional facilities to serve as warming centers, Turley said.
The centers have served 190 people while 139 volunteers have spent 1,148 hours helping with them, she said.
Contact Tim Hrenchir at threnchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Topeka's wind chill index plunges 41 degrees in 14 hours
