With temperatures expected to dip into the single digits this morning — and wind making it feel even colder — local students will be going to class two hours later than usual.
Both the Rowan-Salisbury and Kannapolis City systems will be delayed, officials said Monday. Catawba College will also be on a two-hour delay, with the school opening at 10 a.m.
In Rowan-Salisbury, staff members will be reporting on a one-hour delay. All afternoon and evening athletic activities are cancelled for today, school system spokeswoman Rita Foil said.
Bus schedules may vary from their typical times this morning to allow students to go directly from their homes to the buses, Foil said.
The National Weather Service issued a wind chill advisory from 6 p.m. Monday until noon today, and many schools across North Carolina have responded by delaying classes Tuesday morning.
The National Weather Service advisory cautioned that the “dangerously cold wind chill” could lead to hypothermia or cause frostbite on exposed skin.
Meteorologists are calling for the coldest temperatures in the area since February 1996.
Temperatures will be 15 to 20 degrees below climate normal, with lows forecast between 6 and 8 degrees early today. These single digit temperatures, combined with fairly gusty winds between 15 and 20 mph, were expected to make it feel like 5 to 10 degrees below 0.
Neil Dixon, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said today’s high would be around 22 degrees.
“We won’t see temperatures above freezing again until Wednesday afternoon,” he said. “Make sure all your skin is covered and try to be sheltered from the wind as much as possible.”
He suggested wearing warm clothing such as a facemask, gloves, pants and a warm coat.