Connecticut’s cold weather protocol is in full force, so warming centers across the state are opening.
The Wallingford Family YMCA is open free of charge until next week for people who want to warm up.
“When when they get out of the shelter, they can always come up to the y as well and work out with everybody else,” said Sean Doherty, of the Wallingford Family YMCA.
They partner with the town and shelters and say that in 2025, there were 165 separate visits from people seeking to use the services to warm up or cool down.
“Come in, grab a cup of coffee, charge your phone, work out, take a shower, be a human,” said Doherty.
The cold weather can be hard for anyone to manage, especially for our cars.
“We get a lot of battery dead jobs where we have to replace batteries and charging systems as well as, we get a lot of brake failures. Sometimes just pads, rotors, you know, normal things that corrode from rust, but also brake lines,” said Joey Vertucci, of Vertucci Automotive.
Vertucci said prevention can go a long way.
“Do your due diligence, check your vehicle, make sure tire pressures are good, make sure your battery is not too old and just keeping up on oil changes,” said Vertucci. “As you keep up with that, you’ll find the failures before they happen.”
Pipes in your house can be impacted by the cold, too. Homeowners are encouraged to keep their temperature above 65 degrees to prevent bursting.
Other warming centers can be found here.
