Bitter cold, sub-zero wind chills Thursday; safety tips and resources
MILWAUKEE - Bitterly cold arctic air has descended upon southeast Wisconsin. A cold weather advisory is in place until 10 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 12. Wind chills will be in the -15 to -25 range for the morning and stay sub-zero through the afternoon.
The FOX6 Weather Experts say we will be sunny all day and clear overnight, but clouds return on Friday. We warm up and get wet for Saturday and we stay mild through early next week.
As we see a drop in temperatures, city leaders are warning about a greater risk of fires. Whether it's turning on a space heater, or lighting your fireplace, simply heating your home to stay warm is the leading cause of house fires in the United States, according to the National Fire Protection Agency.
Cold air arrives Wednesday into Thursday; what to expect
The coldest air in eleven months will arrive in southeastern Wisconsin late Wednesday into early Thursday morning, Dec. 12.
The Milwaukee Fire Department fire safety tips
- Use proper heating equipment. Make sure heating systems and chimneys are cleaned and inspected annually by a qualified professional.
- Keep everything flammable at least three feet away from all heating equipment, including furnaces, fireplaces, wood stoves, and space heaters.
- Connect portable heaters directly to a receptacle outlet.
- Use portable heaters with automatic tip-over shut off switches, overheat sensors, thermostat controls and a cool-touch housing to prevent burns when touched.
- Turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to sleep.
- Do not use stoves, ovens or any cooking appliance to heat your home.
- Do not overload receptacle outlets or connect multiple extension cords to them.
- Do not use extension cords with broken insulation, exposed or damaged wires.
- Call a qualified electrician if your home fuses or circuit breakers trip regularly.
- Stay in the kitchen when cooking; never leave cooking food unattended and set a timer as a reminder.
- Keep your cooking appliances clean from food, oils, grease, and everything flammable.
- Keep a lid that fits the pot or pan that is being used for cooking nearby. o In case of a small cooking fire, you can slide the lid over to extinguish it.
- Keep a dry-chemical fire extinguisher in good working condition nearby. o Learn how to use the fire extinguisher safely and its limitations.
- Make sure you have working smoke alarms in every level of your home and no more than 6 feet away from every sleeping area.
- Close your bedroom doors at night to keep the smoke, heat, and fire out of your room.
- In case of a fire : Alert everyone and get out, close the door behind you to contain the fire, call 911 from outside your home.
If you live in a single-family home or duplex in the City of Milwaukee and need a smoke alarm, call the Smoke Alarm Hotline at 414-286-8980, and arrangements will be made for MFD crews to come out and install some.
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