Bed mats are being rolled out at Street Reach Ministries in Myrtle Beach as the shelter is serving more people due to the bitter cold, according to shelter officials.
And weather watchers predict a possible wintry mix on Thursday morning.
Forecasters said near record low temperatures are possible this week in the Myrtle Beach area.
12-13-10/Monday-----Myrtle Beach homeless resident Shirl Thomas waits outside Street Reach Ministries for the emergency overnight services to open Monday afternoon in Myrtle Beach. Thomas has been homeless for six-weeks after losing her job as a server. "I thank god for this place cause I'd freeze tonight." She said. The shelter has upped the number of clients it will take for the service and lengthened the time overnight residents can stay due to the extreme cold weather in the area.Photo By Randall Hillrhill@thesunnews.com
?Cold Weather
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Record high 75 degree set in 2001
Record low 24 degrees set in 1988
Wednesday
Record high 74 degrees set in 1995
Record low 24 degrees set in 2004
Thursday
Record high 74 degrees set in 1990
Record low 19 degrees set in 2004
Records measured in North Myrtle Beach by the National Weather Service in Wilmington, N.C.
Since last week, an additional 61 people have come into Street Reach through its emergency overnight services, said director Joy Hanner.
Overnighters are typically out by 6 a.m. but the shelter has extended the time to about 7:15 a.m. until it warms up, Hanner said. Individuals can then go up the street to the Community Kitchen to get breakfast. The shelter currently has more than 120 residents.
With the first day of winter a week away, area residents will likely experience the coldest temperatures yet, according to forecasters with the National Weather Service in Wilmington, N.C.
The same storm system that dumped 17 inches of snow in the Minneapolis area and caused the Minnesota Vikings' Metrodome to collapse is moving into the area, said Ron Steve, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
"The same storm system that has caused all that havoc in the Midwest has broken off a chunk of the polar vortex, and that's what bringing all that cold air," Steve said.
Arctic air and gusty winds will push temperatures "well below normal," and wind chills are forecast to be as low as 5 to 10 degrees at times overnight.
Street Reach officials have been distributing blankets, sleeping bags, coats, gloves and socks to clients. Tables with those items are put out in front of the shelter every Tuesday and Thursday since the cold spell, Hanner said. In addition, Christ Community Church in Conway delivered 200 scarves Sunday night to the shelter for its residents. The shelter distributed 150 scarves, she said.
Chad Brogdon, 38, came into the shelter Sunday night after someone told him about Street Reach.
Brogdon, who has been in the area for about three months, was out on the streets.
"I can't deal with this," Brogdon said about the cold weather. "I'm too old to deal with the cold. I'm originally from the West Coast. This is all new to me."
Record lows will be threatened during the cold snap, even though the Myrtle Beach area has limited records on file, Steve said.
Today's record was 24 degrees set in 1988 in North Myrtle Beach, and Wednesday's record was also 24 degree set in 2004, Steve said.
"But we don't know how cold it got in 1960s and that is when Wilmington and Florence set their record lows on those days.
"We do not have data for those days in North Myrtle Beach," Steve said and noted Wilmington's record low for today and Wednesday were 16 and 17 degree respectively. "If our forecast is dead on they won't be broken, but it will be within a degree or two."
And don't expect a warm up to the normal temperatures of 58 degrees during the day and 37 degrees overnight, Steve said.
"We're going to be below normal every day. We won't be seeing either of those numbers any time soon."
A storm system is on the way for Thursday and depending on when the rain begins that morning there could be a chance for a few snowflakes or some sleet, Steve said.
"I would say stay tuned because it's a touchy forecast. We'll be watching that closely," Steve said. "Most of the day will be cold rain because it will warm up into the 40s."
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