Cold snap hits Milford

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In an already unprecedented winter, more winter weather records fell earlier this week.

The National Weather Service of Valley, Neb. reported that Tuesday's low temperature of -25 degrees and Monday's of -6 set records for the low temperature and coldest high temperature for the Seward area. The previous record low of -11 was recorded in 1978 and the coldest high temperature mark was previously -1, set in 1936, said meteorologist Hallie Bova.

Monday's frigid temps were the cap on a cold streak that settled into the area earlier in the month. Bova said that the low temperature for a day had not climbed above zero since Feb. 6.

“We're in an outbreak of arctic air, coming down from Canada and farther north,” she said. “It's low pressure that's stuck in place and pulling cold air down for the last week. It's just been sitting there.”

Air that cold can create several health and infrastructure hazards. The National Weather Service advises that severe frostbite can occur in as little as 15 minutes with temperatures -15 degrees or colder.

Milford Superintendent Kevin Wingard said that while the school closed for two days this week, last week's ramp up to the historic freeze caused very few problems. He said buses are stored inside overnight and were not limited due to the cold. With all buildings up to date and adequately heated, he said the buildings, too, have not experienced any issues.

“We have a system set up so it cools down and we don't run the heat as much, but once this forecast came through, we decided to run our heat at a pretty high level to make sure we don't fall behind,” he said. “Our buildings are doing pretty well right now.”

Last week, Wingard said students were constantly reminded of the hazards these temperatures can pose to the human body. Some students still walked to school in below freezing temps, but he said most were prepared for the cold.

“Our elementary school staff is reminding students to dress warm, wear gloves and hats and our social media posts are reminding other people of that, too,” he said. “Our teachers and nurses do a great job making sure our students are prepared.”

Fortunately, Bova said some of the snow may be on its way out later this week as warmer weather moves into the area. High temperatures in the mid-30s are expected towards the end of the week. Bova said that the warm up will require a cautious eye on flooding potential, but said the degree of potential issues is yet to be seen.

“We're not concerned yet but there is a potential as things start to warm up,” she said.