Cold Temperatures, Bitter Wind Chills Sweep Across Region

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- With temperatures in the single digits and wind chills well below zero, it was a brutal day to be outside for any period of time.

A Wind Chill Advisory remains in effect for the region as Saturday's conditions will be just as cold.

"As we head down through tonight again, the Wind Chill Advisory continues the rest of tonight and the first half of the day [Saturday]," said KDKA Chief Meteorologist Jeff Verszyla. "Wind speeds start to cut down later in the day [Saturday]. Temperatures will start off right around zero once again, 3 [degrees] by 9 a.m. and by 11 a.m. we'll be at 7 degrees with partly cloudy skies."

Watch the latest forecast:

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The bitter cold has people bundling up, and many school districts cancelled classes for the day, giving kids a long weekend.

While the sun did break through the overcast skies this morning, the thermal heating provided little relief. On the Mon River, the tow boat Myrah was backing its way with coal barges up the water through the ice. And, downtown, crews were beginning to take down the Unity Tree on the Highmark building. Their elevated buckets targets for the icy winds.

With these kinds of temperatures and bitter wind chills, it all feels the same… numbing.

"I'm a beach person, so this is not my cup of tea so to speak," said Chris Holehan, of Cranberry Township.

Like many families, Holehan's grandchildren were out of school on Friday, so after a Walmart trip, she was heading home to get warm.

"A good warm fireplace, a good pot of soup and a glass of wine," she said.

Even pets need to be careful. Veterinarian Dr. Mike Hutchinson, of Animal General, says the most susceptible areas to frostbite after extended exposure are you animals' ears and tail.

"They lose circulation and they can lose pieces of their ear or their tail," he says.

KDKA's John Shumway Reports:

The lone walker in Cranberry Park wasn't about to let a little cold keep her from her daily walk. The sun helped a bit, as did being bundled from top to bottom.

But the sun was no help for those waiting for buses in the canyons of downtown. Even where you could get into the sunshine, the subzero wind chills cut through every layer.

While folks have to make a living, and some professions just seemed cruel today, like bicycle delivery workers, no matter how covered they were. And all of this is leaving everyone to seek relief any way possible.

"You know a little bit of internal warmth can't hurt," said Megan May, who was on a coffee run.

For the time being though, she was just using the cups as hand warmers.

The good news is this cold snap is almost over. A warming trend is expected to begin in the last half of the weekend.

Stay with KDKA for all the latest on the weather conditions.