LAKEWOOD, Ohio — Northeast Ohio is experiencing extreme weather conditions this January, and temperatures are expected to be colder next week. Work crews in Lakewood were dealing with multiple water main breaks, including one outside the Taft Center for Innovation, which forced the school to close due to a lack of water.
RELATED: Lake Avenue blocked off after water main break on Cleveland's West Side
For water companies in cold weather climates, this is to be expected. Cleveland Water says they'll see 3 to 5 breaks a day outside of winter, but during winter,r that nearly doubles to 5 to 7 a day and even more in an extreme cold spell. The reason? Pressure. Northeast Ohio water pipes tend to be buried five feet or more underground below the frost line. That puts about 200 pounds of pressure on each foot of pipe from the earth above. But as water in the soil above freezes, the pressure increases, doubling to 400 pounds per foot, raising the risk of a break.
Water crews are bracing for a busy week ahead as the region prepares for a cold snap we haven't seen in several years. Next week's highs could be in the single digits. Yes, if you see January sunshine in Cleveland, it's almost always more of an indication of extreme cold than early spring.
We ran into Brian walking briskly Downtown Wednesday afternoon. He said his key to staying warm is "not coming outside."
Will he venture out next week, when we might see highs in the single digits? "Maybe for a second, then I'm going to go back in," he said.
Winds Downtown can sometimes be brutal, making the cold's bite sting even more. However, this is not the case at Edgewater, where the water's edge resembles a frozen lunar landscape. We ran into Ceanna Norslet at Upper Edgewater, bundled against the cold, her face barely visible through her pulled-tight hoody.
"Walking the trail trying to lose weight," she said. "This is the best weather to work out in."
Temps in the upper teens, though, test her limits. If its colder next week?
"I won't be out here," she said.
Smart call on her part, unavoidable though for many like Tracey Rich of Cleveland, who we caught up with waiting for a bus. Whatever Mother Nature throws at her this January, though, she's ready. After all, she says, she's from Cleveland.
"I have my heavy coat, my boots; you can always layer up, you can always put your leggings under your pants," she said. "Some people do two pairs of socks, so I think if you're in Ohio you just always have to be prepared."
