Strong, cold winds are expected in Whatcom County throughout Thursday, and into the weekend.
Western Whatcom County could see wind gusts of up to 40 miles an hour, with wind chills dropping below zero by Friday.
“I’m worried about the trees falling down and maybe power outages,” said Terry Connors.
If there are any power outages, make sure to have flashlights and batteries handy, and if you see any downed power lines report them.
With temperatures dropping there’s the concern of pipes freezing, so if you haven’t already pop on some faucet covers.
“These are the faucet covers to protect your outside spigot,” said Greg Mcarthy, Manager at Martin Lumber and Hardware.
Mcarthy says leaving your cabinets open will also prevent your pipes from cooling too much.
You’re also going to want to keep your faucet dripping.
“A lot of people will just leave a little dribble of water coming out of your faucet. Something like that to keep the water from settling in the pipes from freezing underneath your house,” said Mcarthy.
If your pipes happen to freeze, use a warm towel around the pipe or a hair dryer on a low setting to slowly thaw them. Never use an open torch or flame on frozen pipes.
Terry Connors says he takes it a step further and also covers his windows.
“Warm clothes and hanging blankets around my windows… It just keeps the warm inside, and the freezing window from touching my skin,” said Connors.
Lastly, before stepping out, make sure to bundle up because that wind chill will shock you.