What to do, where to go when frigid cold is too much. Including local warming centers.

As temperatures plummet to the single digits over the next few days, it’s good to remember that certain public venues serve as warming centers throughout the winter.

We list them here and provide tips on avoiding or dealing with emergencies through severe weather.

As of Friday morning, The Tribune's newsgathering partners at WNDU-TV continued to predict as much as eight inches of snow for Friday and artic air from Sunday through the early part of the week, as well as wind gusts of 40 mph Friday and 45 mph Saturday. More snow also could fall Saturday.

With a projected high of 6 degrees and strong winds Sunday, WNDU predicts, the windchill "will stay below 0 all day and possibly fall to 15 to 25 below 0."

For Monday, WNDU predicts, the high will be 1 degree, with a low of 8 degrees below 0, but the wind will be weaker, although the possibility remains for the windchill to reach as low as 25 degrees below 0 on Monday and Tuesday. Tuesday's high will be 5, with a low of 0.

Indiana Michigan Power says that its crews will be on alert for power losses, which may happen if the forecasted heavy wind and storms knock down trees and power lines.

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Be ready in case the electricity goes out, it advises, with an emergency kit that includes water for drinking and cooking, fresh batteries for flashlights, nonperishable food and blankets.

Also, I&M customers can stay up to date on power losses through I&M’s social media and its online outage map. You can use the I&M app to report power losses at IndianaMichiganPower.com/App and sign up for text/email alerts at IndianaMichiganPower.com/Alerts.

And the Federal Emergency Management Agency provides these tips for getting through severe weather:

∎ If you go outdoors, cover all exposed parts of your body. Wear layered clothing and a hat. Mittens generally keep your fingers warmer than gloves. Wear boots or shoes with rubber soles for good traction on ice. Use handrails when navigating outdoor stairs.

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∎ Don’t use a gas stove or oven to heat your home. That’s a fire hazard. And if you use a generator, do so only outdoors and away from windows.

∎ Prevent your pipes from freezing and bursting. When there’s deep cold, allow faucets to drip a little. If a faucet is near an exterior wall, open the cabinet below so warm air can reach the pipes.

∎ Install and test smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors with battery backups.

∎ Watch for signs of hypothermia, such as shivering/exhaustion, confusion/fumbling hands, memory loss/slurred speech and drowsiness, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. In babies, watch for bright red, cold skin and very low energy.

∎ Watch for signs of frostbite, such as white or grayish-yellow skin area, skin that feels unusually firm or waxy and numbness, the CDC states. Don’t massage or rub the area with snow, and don’t expose it to a heating pad or another heating source because the numbed area could burn. Instead, apply warm water, not hot water, or another warm body part.

"If there are further concerns, like you're not warming up like typical after maybe 15-20 minutes and the coloration of the skin is coming back, you may want to seek urgent care or in the MedPoint for evaluation just to make sure everything is OK," MedPoint Urgent Care nurse practitioner Brandon Hopkins advised in a video that Beacon Health System released Friday.

In more severe cases, where there's more skin blistering or where it turns black, the Goshen nurse said, "That would definitely be an emergency room evaluation."

Especially at risk are babies who can't communicate, Hopkins said, along with older people who already are dealing with confusion, diabetes, poor circulation from vascular issues and numbness in their extremities, where they can't tell how cold it is outside until it's too late.

∎ Keep an emergency kit in your car with a first aid kit, jumper cables, shovel, ice scraper, snow brush, sand/cat litter, blanket, snacks, tow rope and flares.

Warming centers

In addition to the following sites, South Bend officials say that public libraries and other community centers can serve as places to stay warm, too (but check on their hours before you come).

∎ Charles Black Community Center, 3419 W. Washington St., is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays (except for the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday on Monday, Jan. 15) and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays.

∎ Howard Park Event Center, 219 S. St. Louis Blvd., is open from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, from 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Fridays, from 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Saturdays and from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Sundays.

∎ O’Brien Fitness Center, 321 E. Walter St., is open from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Warming centers and tips for frigid cold and winter emergencies