Officials offer suggestions for pets, plants and pipes as cold weather approaches

Break out the winter coats and prepare to bundle up — cold weather is coming.

A cold front moved into the area Tuesday night resulting in the build up of high pressure that is expected to continue through Friday, said Robert Frederick, duty forecaster with the National Weather Service in Newport.

“Pretty cold air is associated with that high pressure area,” he said.

Temperatures Wednesday are expected to linger in the 45 to 50 degree range and fall to the 20s overnight. The same temperatures are expected through Friday, Frederick said.

“It looks like really cold weather for the foreseeable future,” he said.

With chilly temperatures impending, experts are reminding residents to keep an eye on a few things:

Pipes

Onslow Water and Sewer Authority reminds folks to protect water pipes. Water freezes as it expands which may harm pipes. Ice formed inside a pipe can also result in pipe failure. Un-insulated pipes are at risk of freezing in temperatures 20 degrees and below. ONWASA advises sealing openings where cold air may get in to pipes, leaving cabinet doors in kitchens and bathrooms open to allow warmer air to circulate around pipes and allowing a stream of water about the size of a pencil lead to run from outside faucets.

Plants

Jane Croom, owner of Grants Creek Nursery in Jacksonville, said be sure plants with new growth are covered or heavily mulched in with pine straw. Plants can be covered with plastic, sheets or burlap to keep the chill off, Croom said, but warned the plastic should be removed before the sun comes up to prevent it from heating up and burning the foliage. Container plants should be moved indoors if possible.

Jeff Morton, with Onslow County Agriculture Cooperative Extension, said plants may be more susceptible to cold sensitivity if they were pruned in the late summer or early fall or fertilized during that time frame with nitrogen fertilizer. “Both of those practices tend to produce growth or cause the plant to not go into dormancy as rapidly or as quickly,” he said. Following cold weather, Morton said plants that have suffered a cold injury should not be assessed until spring when the plant is able to try to “come out.”

Pets

Dogs not used to outdoors should be watched, said Jeff Franklin, practice manager at Academy Animal Hospital, in Jacksonville. The cold and wind combination can be deadly, he said. Dogs used to the outdoors, with shelter and warmth, should be OK. Franklin said providing outdoor pets with shelter is crucial during freezing temperatures.

People with outdoor cats need not be too concerned if the feline stays out in the elements, Franklin said, noting that most outside cats are used to the environment and will find a way to stay warm.

Outdoor pets should have a constant source of water. In freezing temperatures, Franklin recommends keeping a water bowl indoors and one outdoors and rotating them several times a day to make sure the water outdoors does not freeze.

Vehicles

Tom Crosby with AAA of the Carolinas, cautioned drivers to give vehicle batteries a little extra care following chilly temperatures.

“In cold weather your battery can be 15 or 20 percent less efficient, so a battery that is marginal may not have enough pump to start the engine,” he said.

Crosby recommends turning on the battery and letting the car sit for 20 or 30 seconds before attempting to start it so the electricity “brings the juices in the battery up.”

Contact Molly DeWitt at 910-219-8455 or mdewitt@freedomenc.com.