Educators consider closing school due to possible frigid temperatures in Southeast Michigan next week
(CBS DETROIT) - We will all be struggling with the bitterly cold weather next week, and it may get too chilly outside, prompting schools to close.
"When our feels-like temperature -- that's the actual temperature, and the wind chill is between -20 and -25 degrees -- that's when we know that frostbite could happen in a very short amount of time," said Kelly Coffin, the superintendent at Farmington Public School. "We are most concerned, of course, about the safety of our families having to wait for buses, and so that is something we really have to watch for."
With temperatures expected to dip into the single digits, even below zero at times next week, with a bitterly cold wind throughout Southeast Michigan, superintendents like Coffin are already discussing having no class on Tuesday.
"Frostbite sets in between 15-30 minutes when it's that cold out and so you may not even be aware, it feels cold of course but not aware of the intense cold and what that does to us very quickly if we are outside," said Coffin.
Over the weekend, Coffin and all of the other superintendents in Oakland County will continue to contact meteorologists, monitor the mechanical systems inside the schools, and ensure that the buses can start in those frigid conditions.
DTE Energy says they're prepared to deal with this cold and that everyone, whether at school or not, should be taking the proper precautions.
"Minimizing the time you're outside and trying to stay indoors as much as you can is important. We also advise to check on some of your friends and neighbors, the elderly and making sure your pets are taken care of as well," said Henry Decker, vice president of gas sales and supply at DTE.
