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Dropping temperatures could make for dangerous nights for some
11:35 AM EST on Thursday, November 17, 2005
6NEWS Emergency workers in the mountains began putting spreaders on their trucks to prepare to treat roads.
As temperatures drop across the Carolinas, Wednesday's weather proved dangerous for many.
The chillier temperatures were tougher for some than others. Construction worker Bobby Daey tried to keep out the chill.
"The cold weather does hurt the company. People don't want to work. They want to stay home and stay inside with the heat," said Bobby Daey, a construction worker. "It just goes through my body, you know? And it makes me stiff and I can't work the way I want to work."
For others, the cold can be life threatening.
"I got a little blanket right here," said homeless John Halleman. "What I do have I'm grateful for."
Halleman has seen first-hand that the cold can kill. He's seen men frozen to death on the street.
A new shelter for homeless men opened Wednesday night, offering 200 more beds for people seeking shelter from the biting temperatures.
Some of the highest winds seen Wednesday happened in the North Carolina Mountains. Work crews in that area have already begun preparing for what this storm could bring.
"Last night there was lightning and 45 miles per hour winds. It just blew it right through the building," store owner Jim Cottrell said.
The strong wind was all it took to fuel an accidental fire at a Watauga County ski shop for four hours Wednesday morning.
Cottrell now faces a $700,000 loss. He planned to open up for the ski season Wednesday.
"We do season rentals and snow making was going to start either today or tomorrow night," Cottrell said.
That's why ski lodges in the area want this weather to continue. They're hoping to eventually see lower temperatures, snow, and ice.
"We could do without the wind, but that's how it rides in here. It comes in on winds," said Grady Moretz with Ski Mountain.
Appalachian Ski Mountain in Blowing Rock plans to make snow for the first time this season Wednesday night. If temperatures stay in the 20's they can keep the fake snow blowing for the next three nights and cover up all nine of its slopes.
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Although ski slopes are green now, now that temperatures have dropped they are gearing up to begin making snow.
“When the temperature is getting to where we can make snow we'll let the ground freeze. We don't need to make snow on thawed ground," Moretz said.
But if the ground freezes members of the North Carolina Department of Transportation worry that the roads will too.
"They're going to become slick,” a DOT worker said.
City crews have taken the job of snow plowing and salt duty from the state along Providence Road, Highway 2949 and South Boulevard just south of Woodlawn.
Crews in Avery County spent the afternoon putting spreaders on their trucks that they'll fill up with salt. They will spend the night hoping to keep up with the expected snow and ice.
Charlotte is also making preparations. Thursday Charlotte emergency workers will conduct training exercises to prepare for hazardous road conditions. Crews will undergo classroom and hands-on training.
6NEWS reporters Lisa Rantala, Nicole Konkal and Anna Crowley contributed to this report.
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