Another Round of Freezing Temperatures in the Piedmont, Mountains

Anticipated freezing temperatures could mean broken pipes for some area residents.

Another round of freezing temperatures is rolling into the Piedmont and the North Carolina mountains.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for the mountains until 6 a.m. tomorrow morning. Meteorologist Chris Fisher says this cold air is coming from Canada and will push down temperatures for the foothills and mountains well below normal for most of this week. "As far as the mountains, they'll be lucky if they hit 20 degrees for the next couple of days. Overnight lows maybe five  above zero tonight and then only around 10 degrees tomorrow night," says Fisher. He also says the wind chill in the mountains, especially tonight, could be 5-15 degrees below zero. "In the foothills, temperatures may be 5-10 degrees warmer than in the mountains but still nightly lows in the lower teens and day-time high's in the 20's."

Pete Green is an estimator at PF Plumbing in Winston-Salem. He says water sitting stagnant in pipes will quickly freeze when temperatures drop into the teens and single digits. The resulting expansion will cause pipes to burst.  Green also says older and poorly insulated homes are prone to broken pipes. In these homes, Green recommends letting a small stream of water run through one of your interior faucets. “The furthest fixture in your house from that well or water meter is the best place to pick. That way the water runs through the entire main all the way back to that furthest fixture," explains Green.

Tips include:
*Let a small stream of water run in a fixture furthest from the water well or water meter. Running water does not freeze.
*Close vents around crawl spaces to limit cold air leaking into your home.
*Disconnect all exterior water hoses from the faucet attached to your home.
*In older homes, increase the temperature a few degrees.
*In older homes or homes that are poorly insulated, open the cabinets under sinks so warm air can circulate around the pipes.

The National Weather Service estimates the Piedmont may get 1-2 inches of snow between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning. The mountains may get between 2-4 inches.