The coldest temperatures of the year will hit Akron over the weekend.
The National Weather Service has issued a wind chill advisory starting at 10 p.m. Friday and running through 10 a.m. Sunday.
Forecasters say the culprit is an Arctic cold front that made its way across the region Friday and brought along a brief period of snow that dropped anywhere from 1 to 2 inches of the white stuff.
But the real impact, the National Weather Service warns, is the wind and cold temperatures dipping into the “dangerous” range.
Wind chills Friday night into Saturday morning will be around minus-10 degrees as wind gusts of up to 30 miles per hour are expected.
“Dangerous wind chills can result in frostbite or hypothermia in just a few minutes,” the weather service warned. “Frigid temperatures could freeze water pipes.”
The Rev. Jeff Kaiser, executive director of Akron’s Haven of Rest Ministry, said this weekend’s severe weather has prompted the organization that assists the city’s homeless and at-risk families to issue a “Code Zero” alert to urge folks to seek warmth at its East Market Street shelter.
The cold has already prompted a spike in the number of homeless and families seeking warmth and assistance at the Haven of Rest.
Kaiser said a typical number of clients at the agency’s two shelters is anywhere from 180 to 190. That number has already risen to 240 to 250 and the coldest temperatures have not even hit yet.
Kaiser said the agency is not only there for the homeless with a warm meal or a hot drink, but also for those who might be living in a home that is too cold for the extreme conditions and just need a place to keep warm.
“We don’t want anyone outside during this cold weather,” he said. “Our goal is to keep everyone safe.”
Organizers of Medina’s Ice Festival are hoping people do the opposite and bundle up and head outdoors.
“We are going to have a square full of frozen water,” said Matt Wiederhold, executive director of Main Street Medina.
The event kicked off Friday night and includes ice sculpting competitions on Saturday and Sunday typically attracts as many as 50,000 visitors to Medina’s historic square.
Wiederhold said last year’s sub-zero polar vortex knocked the attendance down to around 20,000.
Organizers hope visitors dress warmly and still come out to view the 100 or so ice sculptures that will be on display no matter the weather.
“There’s a real fine line,” Wiederhold said. “Folks say it is too cold to go out. We just remind them it is an ice festival.”
An upside to the chilly weather is the ice sculptures last longer.
“Last year we ended up with a two-week ice festival,” Wiederhold said.
Snow showers are expected again on Saturday with a high near 10, but the wind chills will be as low as minus-12 degrees.
The Saturday night low will dip to around minus-1 degree with wind chill around minus-12 degrees.
Sunday will offer a brief break with partly sunny skies and a high in the upper teens.
Forecasters warn there could be snow developing Monday as a major storm is expected to make its way up the East Coast.
While the National Weather Service says it is still too early to predict the storm’s exact path and its potential impact on Northeast Ohio, Accuweather says the East Coast storm could drop as much as four inches of snow in Akron.
Beacon Journal staff writer Craig Webb can be reached at cwebb@thebeaconjournal.com or 330-996-3547.