| By Big Radio News Staff |
Rock County aims to leave its local warming shelters open a few extra days as snow and blustery weather is set to hit right on the heels of dangerously cold weather.
Rock County Human Services manager Greg Winkler says the county had planned to shut down its overnight shelter after tonight. But forecasts show wind chill temperatures could remain around -15 through at least Wednesday, with a couple of inches of snow possible through Thursday.
The county now has slated the warming centers to stay open through Thursday night.
Rock County Salvation Army Lieutenant Jennifer Rysdyk says her Beloit center has seen between six and 10 warming center guests each night since Saturday, when a frigid cold snap sent temperatures plummeting to dangerous lows on Saturday.
Other overnight warming centers the county lists, including Beloit Memorial Hospital and MercyHealth Janesville Hospital and Trauma Center, have seen about the same volume of guests overnight since Saturday.
Winkler says the equivalent of 64 guests have stayed at the county’s overnight warming sites over the last week — an average of nine guests a night.
Rysdyk says one item the Salvation Army sites are short of is clean blankets. She says lots of overnight guests and food pantry clients are coming in asking for warm blankets.
People can donate clean, gently-used blankets at either the Beloit or Janesville Salvation Army location.
