Cold Weather Alert Issued for Next Week

A governmental cold-weather alert was issued Friday in advance of a cold front expected to bring frigid temperatures overnight next week.

Bucks County's Code Blue weather alert will run from 6 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 20 through 7 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 24, county officials said Friday.

The alert puts two Bucks County churches on call to help the homeless or others needing shelter.

The National Weather Service is predicting temperatures overnight on Sunday to drop to around 24 degrees and continue to fall. Tuesday night's low is predicted to be about 15 degrees.

Two churches are on-call to assist residents in Central Bucks and Lower Bucks. Woodside Presbyterian in Yardley and Trinity Episcopal in Buckingham will activate their emergency shelters, as well as coordinate transportation, temporary shelter, food and other needs.

Police and other emergency workers also are notified of the on-call shelter, officials said. They can pass on the information, and the phone number for the homeless hotline (877-260-2936) to anyone they might meet who looks like they could use some help.

County officials also reminded people to check on their neighbors, especially anyone who might be elderly or in frail health. Pets, too, need special consideration when the weather is this extreme, they said.