Below-freezing temps in Olympia remind residents to prepare for wintry weather

OLYMPIA, Wash. — On Friday, people in Olympia woke up to below-freezing temperatures.

“It’s surprising to walk outside and see it like this,” said Kayla Cambern.

Cars were covered in frost. Some drivers said they even had to scrape their windshields.

“Yeah, it took about 30 minutes to defrost the windshield,” said Cambern.

Cambern said it feels like we skipped fall and went straight to winter.

One thing you want to do now before it’s too late is get all the winter essentials.

“Yeah, you want to prepare for it through the worst,” said Cambern.

Having snow melt, shovels, flashlights, extra batteries, candles, food, and water are a must.

If you own a home, winterizing it is crucial.

At the top of the list is getting your pipes ready for when freezing temperatures hit the area.

“Make sure they’re insulated first of all, make sure they’re able to have the pipes where they’re not going to be frozen outside, especially with the hydrants outside,” said McClendon’s employee Carvin Travis.

If you don’t already have faucet covers, make sure you get some and put them on, because it’ll save you from having to deal with frozen pipes, or even a pipe bursting.

“Oh yeah, you think it’s going to be that cold, ‘Oh, we better do that because that would suck,’” said Cambern.

And don’t forget to set your thermostat to a steady temperature. The recommendation is usually 69 degrees.

“I have a lot of windows in my house, and it’s starting to get a little bit cold outside, so the last couple of years I’ve put this window insulation on, and I would say it just breaks off the edge of the cold a little bit, so it doesn’t feel freezing in my house and I don’t have to have the heat running all the time,” said Monique Wise-Price.

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