Schools cancel classes Thursday; one more cold night in store for area

Area schoolchildren will get a fourth straight day off from school Thursday as superintendents called off classes as the area braced for another night of dangerously cold temperatures and wind chills.
The biggest issue facing school officials was the fact that a number of counties, including Chickasaw, pulled their plows off the roads Tuesday night. Although hard-surfaced roads were plowed Thursday, gravel roadways were left untouched because county officials worried about the wear and tear on their equipment and the safety of their drivers.
New Hampton, Turkey Valley and Sumner-Fredericksburg all plan to play basketball games on Thursday night, but Nashua-Plainfield pulled the plug on all evening activities Thursday.
After recording an official low of 28 below on Wednesday morning, New Hampton is expected to see another cold night as lows Thursday morning were expected to approach 30 below before the articic blast exits the area. By Sunday, high temperatures in Chickasaw County could approach 40 degrees.
— For more on this story, see the Feb. 1 Tribune