FORT PIERCE, Fla. — With nighttime temperatures this week expected to drop into the 40s in parts of the viewing area, WPTV went in search of what's behind this mid-winter chill, as some in our community prepare to take care of their neighbors in need of warmth.
Percy Peek Gym, located at 2902 Ave. D. opened at 5 p.m. Monday through 8 a.m. Thursday.
At The Image of Christ in Fort Pierce, the cots are being pulled out from storage again.
"It has definitely been different this winter season," Pastor Hazel Hoylman said.
The organization is setting up a cold weather shelter for the second time in three weeks.
Hoylman said about 20-30 people used the shelter last month at the Percy Peek, and they could get more this week.
"It’s important because people don’t have heat. Our brothers and sisters without walls, they can come in as well and stay warm," Hoylman said.
To get residents to the gym, Area Regional Transit of St. Lucie County, or ART, is running a loop into the early evening.
"So we said let’s go out there and circulate the vans and busses around town to spots we know where we may find some residents that need shelter," SLC Transit Director Adolfo Covelli said.
Covelli said they want to make transportation more readily accessible, after there were some issues getting people into shelters during pandemic cold snaps.
With the nighttime temperatures expected below 48, the shelter is set to be open the next three nights.
The need to establish a shelter for the second time this season just goes to show how different this winter has been.
WPTV First Alert Weather meteorologist Steve Villanueva said the El Niño weather pattern created some changes.
"The jet stream should be farther north, but it’s coming across Florida … bringing more fronts. If you notice, we warm up then we cool down, then we warm up, then we cool down," Villanueva said.