And the 2 degree mark is 19 degrees below average for the day. But forecasters say Mother Nature will gradually get over her frigid spell. After the mercury drops to about 10 tonight, it should rise into the 20s tomorrow. By Thursday daytime highs could crack the freezing mark. This morning, however, many people were hopping mad around their cars.
Service stations report a large number of calls from people unable to start their vehicles.
The area's AAA emergency road service center was so busy no one was available to talk. Mechanics from Putney's Sunoco Service in downtown Mechanicsburg spent the morning driving to customers' homes to give car batteries a jump. The primary culprit in preventing a car from starting, Fair says, is a cold battery. But any moisture in the fuel lines also contributed to motorist' woes, as it froze overnight, preventing engines from turning over. And some people, he says, simply forget to add enough antifreeze.