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Experts Offer Advice For Ice Cold Weekend In Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Mother Nature has delivered a wonderland for winter recreation, whether it's skiing at Boyce Park, Seven Springs, Hidden Valley, or maybe some backyard sled riding.

KDKA Chief Meteorologist Jeff Verszyla says the winter chill will be sticking around all weekend long.

"The January chill has arrived and it will be sticking around through the weekend," he says. "Not a huge variation in temperature over the next couple of days as you pretty much take today and apply it to [Saturday] and Sunday."

Because of those frigid temperatures, doctors are warning anyone headed outside to bundle up.

"I think the main thing is to layer and try and have protections around your head, your arms, your hands," said Dr. Rich Kaplan, of the emergency department at Allegheny General Hospital. "Make sure you have something warm on your feet, something to cover them."

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Dr. Kaplan says it's important to stay attuned to what your extremities are telling you.

"If you are not feeling your fingertips or your toes, that's obviously a warning sign. Hopefully, that won't happen," he says. "People are going to be out there, do your best to try to stay dry."

Be cautious, he says, but don't forget to have fun.

"I'm not going to tell parents to keep their kids out of the cold, but they need to watch them. They need to make sure they are talking to them and they are alert and they're acting like they normally do," Dr. Kaplan said.

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The same rules apply for Sunday's playoff Steelers game at Heinz Field.

Verszyla says the conditions during game action will be brisk.

"We'll stay partly to mostly cloudy tonight, single-digit low temperatures, and [Saturday], much like today, will feature a mixture of clouds and sunshine and temperatures in the upper teens, near 20 degrees, and it will stay brisk and cold for Steelers Sunday," he said.

"We brought many layers," said Alisha Willett, who arrived from Dallas to attend the game. "Ready to go, next stop Kansas City."

But also, Dr. Kaplan has a caution about imbibing in the spirits.

"You're going to lose some heat from your body," he says. "People may feel warmer when they drink, but they're actually going to lose some heat from their body, so it's not going to protect you, it might even hurt a little bit."

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