BIDDEFORD — York County didn’t set records for bone-shivering cold temperatures in the aftermath of Winter Storm Grayson this past weekend, but for those trying to avoid going outdoors as much as possible, take heart, a gradual warmup is on the way this week.  

The storm ripped through York County on Thursday dropping more than a foot of snow in some areas and leaving behind subzero temperatures and icy patches that lingered throughout the weekend.

Sunday’s low in Biddeford was 11 degrees below zero set at 7 a.m. and the thermometer struggled to make it out of the low-teens the rest of the day. As high pressure built across the county on Sunday afternoon, chilling winds subsided too.

The 11 below zero temperature was not a January record for Biddeford. Back on Jan. 19, 1971, the all-time record low was established for the city when the tenperature fell to 24 below zero.

And in case you were wondering, the all-time record high for January in Biddeford is 63, set on Jan. 27, 1974.

For York County in January, the average low temperature is 14, with the average high being 34, so last weekend’s subzero lows were out of the normal range for this time of year, winter or not.

The icy cold weather forced organizers to push the popular “Atlantic Plunge” fundraiser Saturday at Gooch Beach in Kennebunk to Jan. 13 and also led to the cancellation of Biddeford Boy Scout Troop 308’s glass collection drive on Sunday morning.

Those events were scrubbed because of the dangers associated with being outdoors in subzero temperatures and windy conditions were present.

In some instances, frostbite and hypothermia can occur in as little as 30 minutes of exposure outside, says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

If you have to be outdoors, the CDC recommends dressing appropriately with loose layers that help hold body heat close. That starts with a layer of long underwear and build out from there. 

The CDC recommends that when outdoors, cover your face and head with a hat and scarf or a winter facemask, and include thin socks and gloves under heavier ones. A long coat or parka provides better protection than a short jacket and warm, and waterproof boots should have a grippy tread. 

According to National Weather Service forecasters in Gray, a southwest flow developed over Maine on Sunday evening and combined with increased cloud formations in the southern part of the state kept temperatures from dipping below zero again overnight.

Forecasters said weather watchers noticed some scattered snowshowers in York County on Monday, but little in the way of accumulation.

High temperatures today will warm into the mid 20s and could reach the upper 30s and that trend continues Wednesday and Thursday until Friday when another storm may approach New England, NWS forecasts predict.

That storm could lower temperatures back into the single digits and send lows plunging below zero once more for the third straight weekend.

— Executive Editor Ed Pierce can be reached at 282-1535 ext. 326 or by email at editor@journaltribune.com.