It may be a sunny day that's bright enough to wear sunglasses, but it's far from summer as people flock to warming centers to escape the bitter cold slamming Connecticut following light snow Friday and a blizzard earlier in the week.
The temperatures are in the single digits, but the windchill make it feel even colder. In Hartford, it felt like -13 degrees with windchill.
Warming centers are open in various towns statewide. You can call 211 to find the nearest warming center with openings. The state hotline is experiencing a high number of calls. It took NBC Connecticut a half hour to get through to someone on the line, but a spokesperson said the average wait time is closer to 15 minutes.
Hartford's shelters were packed Saturday but continue to accept people to help them stay safe. McKinney's Men's Shelter on Huyshope Avenue was crowded. The shelter has 78 beds available, but found room for 90 men who came in Friday night to escape the cold. McKinney's will stay open throughout the day Saturday.
"There's people sleeping on the floor. People sleeping on the cots out on the floor," said Douglas Cameron, who was staying in the shelter. "Sometimes they run out of those so people just have to sleep or sit up all night. But it's better than the alternative, which is sleeping outside."
And that's not preferable with the freezing cold temperatures.
"You stay out here long enough and you'll get sick or die," Cameron said. "....I get disability right now, so I can't really afford an apartment, otherwise I'll be sitting there in an apartment with electric and lights, and nothing else."
Despite the cold, some people were still outside braving the cold in the capital city Saturday morning. Half a dozen people were bundled up at a downtown bus stop in Hartford.
"I have two coats, a scarf, and two shirts," Lisa Rodriguez, of Hartford, said.
Hartford resident William Hardie was also waiting for the bus and keeping warm with five layers of clothes.
"Wicked, wicked cold," Hardie said.
Local
One woman said she expected to wait outside for 30 to 40 minutes for the bus to arrive.
It could take even less time than that though for frostbite to set in in temperatures like this, possible less than a half hour.
Stay inside if you can, but if you do have to be outside, it's a good idea to dress in layers and wear a hat, scarf and gloves. Dress warmly even if you're just dropping your kids off at practice or running to the grocery store in the event you have car trouble or get stuck outside. Pack extra blankets, hand and foot warmers and bottles of water in your car as a precaution.
