Sub-zero temps cause problems, but it's been worse
(Published Monday, February 5, 2007 11:54:38 AM CST)
A d v e r t i s e m e n t
Gazette Staff
Power lines snapped, schools canceled and water mains burst.
The mercury never made it above zero Sunday and sunk to 16 below zero at its lowest, according to official readings at the city wastewater treatment plant.
Believe it or not, it's been worse.
Three times in the past 78 years-Jan. 23, 1935; Jan. 23, 1936, and Jan. 18, 1994-the temperature never climbed above 15 below zero.
The record low for Janesville is 31 below zero on Feb. 2, 1996.
Even though power lines are designed to handle extreme temperatures, the consecutive days of subzero weather are straining the power system, Alliant Energy spokeswoman Erin Dammen said.
The spillway below the Monterey Dam on the Rock River paints a cold picture in Janesville. The forecast calls for a slight warming trend, with highs creeping into the teens by the latter part of the week, but lows could still fall below zero.
Al Hoch/Gazette Staff
The largest power outage in the area affected about 950 customers on Janesville's northeast side early this morning, she said.
A power line on North Sumac Drive snapped at about 2:30 a.m. That affected only a couple hundred customers, but because the line was live, workers needed to shut off a substation, putting nearly 1,000 customers out of power, she said.
Power was restored at about 5:40 a.m.
"(Extreme cold) just makes the system more susceptible to a strong wind or a branch-something that would normally bounce off and not cause a problem," she said. "Everything's just really brittle."
Heather Tanner woke at 4 a.m. in her Green Valley Drive home to the sound of her fire alarm beeping because of the power outage. She said the temperature in her home dropped to 64 degrees while the power was off.
If power would have been off longer, she would have had to cancel the daycare she runs out of her home.
A power line snap on Beloit's east side affected about 180 customers.
Janesville students got today off from school, but they'll be making it up at some point, Superintendent Tom Evert said.
Janesville Bluebird hockey coach John Mauermann shows the effect of a morning run during Sunday’s below-zero temperatures.
Al Hoch/Gazette Staff
The last time the Janesville School District canceled school because of cold, students had two days off, said Steve Eichman, the district's manager of transportation. That was Jan. 18 and 19 of 1994.
Will kids double their fun again in 2007? Evert won't make that decision until early Tuesday morning.
One thing is sure: This is the second day the Janesville schools canceled because of weather this school year. The district schedules for only one "snow day," so any subsequent days off must be made up.
Janesville firefighters battled the cold and flames early this morning at a house fire, said Lt. Patrick Kilbane of the Janesville Fire Department.
Air mask regulators froze because it was 23 below zero, Kilbane said.
Janesville water utility employee Randy Westby is framed by his steamy breath at the site of a water main break on North Sumac Drive this morning. Double-digit below zero temperatures are making life difficult across southern Wisconsin.
Bill Olmsted/Gazette Staff
Hydraulic fluid in a generator froze, and so a diesel-powered generator from another engine was used to power lights and provide electricity, Kilbane explained.
In Beloit Township, police responded to a report of a frozen dog.
Officer David Burkee said police will recommend animal neglect charges against Robert Sparks, 2271 Afton Road. A family member called police Sunday to report that Sparks had left his 8-year-old German shepherd outside for more than 12 hours. The dog was dead when officers arrived at 2 p.m.
Sparks said he did not see any other pets on the property.
Janesville city crews braved the weather this morning to fix a broken water main on North Sumac Drive. Randy Westby of the city's water department dressed in several layers of jackets and long underwear to stay warm.
Fixing breaks in the early 1980s was worse, he recalled, because frost in the ground then went 4 to 5 feet deep, and crews had to work 18- to 19-hour shifts. He estimated today's frost at about 3 feet deep.
"Just move around and stay warm," he said with a smile.
