What will the weather be like for Chambersburg IceFest?
IceFest's dozens of ice sculptures won't be sweating this year while on display in downtown Chambersburg.
While a warm spell has been known to move in just in time for the annual winter festival in past years, there will be no worries of melting in 2019.
Thousands of people are expected to come to the festival, which officially kicks off at 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 31 and runs through 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 3.
Guests won't need to slip down the double-wide ice slide to feel a chill. It will be cold every day, and most will feel much colder than the actual temperature due to wind. Temperatures are not expected to reach 30 degrees at all, and wind chills will be in the teens, according to AccuWeather.
Thursday will be "bitterly" cold, AccuWeather says, with a high of 18 and a wind chill of just 10 degrees. It will likely be a bit colder than that by the 5 p.m. opening, though.
It will be slightly less cold Friday, with a high of 26 and a wind chill of 17. There could be some flurries or even snow. Keep in mind activities are in the evening.
The biggest day of the festival will be the warmest. A high of 29 and a mostly sunny sky are expected Saturday. Even better, Mother Nature will offer a break from wind; AccuWeather says it will actually feel slightly warmer than the actual temperature come late afternoon. None of this will make much difference, however, to the participants of the Polar Dunk Tank, which is set to begin at 11 a.m.
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Sunday will be similar to Friday.
There will be an extra day of activities this year, as the Live Carve-Off has been moved to Wednesday evening. Two ice carvers will go head to head outside GearHouse Brewing Co. on Grant Street. Temperatures will feel like they are in the teens.
How to keep warm
The Centers for Disease Control recommends adults and children who will be exposed to cold weather to wear a hat, a scarf or mask that covers the face and mouth, sleeves that are snug at the wrist, mittens (which are warmer than gloves), and several layers of loose-fitting clothing.
IceFest will also provide a number of opportunities to warm up. There are plenty of indoor activities, such as Frozen Flicks at Coyle Free Library and the Penn's Woods Printmakers display at the new 11/30 Welcome Center.
The Chili-Q - a new take on the traditional chili cook-off - will offer an easy way to warm up from the inside out. Try out samples of chili and barbecue from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. under the tent in the lot next to Main Street Deli.
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More IceFest activities
IceFest is open 5-8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, all day Saturday, and through 4 p.m. Sunday.
The 40-foot, LED-lit, double-wide ice slide will be open for free all festival long in the parking lot next to Gartenburg Jewelry, 133 S. Main St., and more than 30 tons of ice will be in sculpture form and on display along the Main Street corridor.
In addition to the activities previously mentioned in this story, highlights include: On Saturday, the IceFest Beer Garden, Icing on the Cake contest, ArtFest, and multiple art exhibits; and on Sunday, the Kids' Zone Obstacle Course and Scavenger Hunt, Run Your Ice Off 5K. Be sure to check out the full schedule at icefestpa.com.
