Bitter Blast Means a Tough Morning

A bitter blast of cold weather is hitting Connecticut, bringing freezing temperatures rather than a high near 50s.

That made it a tough morning for residents across the state and a busy one for AAA's roadside crews.

Parents said they are waking up earlier to get children ready to brave the cold while waiting for the bus.

"We have to get them up an hour earlier just to get them out of bed." Tiffany Willis, of Hartford, said. 

[NATL-DO-NOT-USE] Extreme Weather 2014

Another reason to get up earlier is to let the car warm up.

As of 10:30 a.m., the AAA roadside crew responded to 393 calls in the greater Hartford area and Eastern Connecticut. On Monday, they responded to 1,015 calls, including 241 battery problems. On Tuesday, they responded to almost 1,000 calls.

People across the state said they are just not ready for the weather to be this cold so soon.

"It got too cold too fast and I'm not really happy about it," Sharyn Haymond, of  Glastonbury, said.

Bloomfield and Middletown have opened warming centers to help residents who need a place to go and warm up.

Middletown

The Church of the Holy Trinity at 381 Main Street opened Nov. 16 to provide hot beverages, snacks and "a temporary respite from the cold for those in need," according to the city of Middletown's website. The center will be open to the the public from 9 p.m. until 7 a.m. every day of the week.

Anyone seeking more information on the Middletown warming center or interested in making donations can call 860-344-0097.

Bloomfield

Three locations in Bloomfield will serve as warming centers this week.

  • The Alvin & Beatrice Wood Human Resources Center at 330 Park Avenue will be open from 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday. Those seeking shelter are asked to use the community/youth center entrance on the west side of the building.
  • The Prosser Library at 1 Tunxis Avenue will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, according to the town.
  • McMahon Wintonbury Library at 1015 Blue Hills Avenue will serve as the town's third warming center and will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday. Water will be available at all warming shelters, but residents are encouraged to bring their own food, along with any medications or personal items. Service dogs are welcome.

"When you have a cold snap like we're going through right now, we tend to open up," said Bloomfield Town Manager Philip Schnenck. "It's kind of a shake-down for us too so we can work through any issues we have."

More information on the state winter weather response is available online.

Did your town open a warming center? Email us at news@nbcconnecticut.com to let us know!

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