UMATILLA COUNTY — Some cities in the foothills of the Blue Mountains can expect to be near or exceed their historic lowest temperatures during the early morning and afternoon of Saturday, Jan. 13.

Matt Callihan, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pendleton, said the warnings and advisories of storms aren’t likely to break any records, as most of the storm will be further south.

However, Milton-Freewater’s historic low temperature for Jan. 13 — since record keeping began in 1928 — is minus 7 degrees, and the area is expected to reach at least 6 degrees below zero in the early morning.

The historic high temperature for Milton-Freewater on Jan. 13 is 13 degrees, and this year’s forecast high is 8 degrees, which would break the record for the lowest high temperature.

“It looks like we’re close, especially along the foothills,” Callihan said. “So it could be a concern.”

Pendleton isn’t quite expected to break records, but it will be close.

The city’s lowest high is 6 degrees, and the forecast for Jan. 13 is 9 degrees. On the other end of the spectrum, the low is forecast to be minus 4 degrees, and the historic low is minus 8 degrees. Callihan said Jan. 13 is expected to be the area’s coldest day.

While the temperatures themselves may or may not break records, it still will be quite cold. And adding in wind will lower the feels-like temperatures even further.

Callihan said the National Weather Service is considering issuing a wind advisory. Even though the winds themselves aren’t expected to gust much more than 10-15 mph, that can be significant to how cold it feels outside.

“We’re not seeing significant winds,” Callihan said, “but with a 10-15 miles per hour gust and temps of minus 6 or minus 7, they feel a lot worse. It doesn’t take much.”

Pendleton Warming Station expects uptick in use

For Pendleton residents in need of a warm place to get out of the cold temperatures and wind, the Pendleton Warming Station is a seasonal option offering a safe, warm place to stay.

The station can accommodate up to 26 people per night. Its executive director and board chair, Dwight Johnson, said that recently, around 14 or 15 people, on average, are using it each night.

“We’ve been fairly consistent,” he said.

But with the cold weather, he said he wouldn’t be surprised if that number increased for the weekend.

The numbers do seem to be trending up. On the night of Jan. 11, 18 people stayed at the station overnight.

The station has extended its hours for the next few days due to the cold weather. It is normally open from 6:30 p.m. until 6 a.m., but will stay open until 11 a.m., Jan. 13-15.