With temperatures expected to drop into the single digits by the end of the weekend, Kanawha County officials want to make sure people are safely heating their homes.
As the coldest months of the year, December, January and February typically also see the most heating-related house fires, said C.W. Sigman, deputy director and fire coordinator for the Kanawha County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. Because December's temperatures were milder than usual, that hasn't been the case so far this season, Sigman said.
"I think [there've been] less this year because up until recently it's been pretty warm," Sigman said. "The month of December was pretty warm."
Even so, with the more recent colder temperatures, chimney fires have destroyed two Kanawha County homes in the past 10 days, Sigman said.
"We're lucky we didn't lose any lives in them," he said.
Fire officials advise people to make sure their homes have working smoke detectors. Those using space heaters should keep clear a three-foot space around the devices and turn them off before they leave or go to sleep.
"Especially keep the kids away from them; I hate to see a kid hurt," Sigman said.
Those using fireplaces should use a sturdy screen to keep sparks from going into the room.
The colder temperatures are expected to move into the Charleston area Sunday evening, said Andrew Beavers, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Charleston. Monday morning, the temperature is expected to be around 13 degrees, and the high that day will be 20, he said. Monday night moving into Tuesday the high will be 9, he said. Temperatures won't warm up past the freezing point until Wednesday.
"We're just getting a nice arctic front from Canada that's able to push down and bully us out of this nice weather we've been having," Beavers said.
If that seems colder than usual, it's all a matter of perspective. It's nowhere near the record cold of minus 10 for Monday and minus 16 Tuesday, he said.
Thursday's temperatures will be the warmest of the week, he said.
"Looks like it's not going to be warm warm, but Wednesday, Thursday and Friday will be right about normal," Beavers said. "Not any of that 50- and 60-degree weather coming in anytime soon."
This weekend's weather will be snowy, with rain changing into snow tonight and snow showers continuing on and off until Monday. Accumulation will be less than an inch, Beavers said.
Reach Lori Kersey at Lori.kersey@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-1240 or follow @LoriKerseyWV on Twitter.