Jericho Guyer is a long way from Miami.
Mr. Guyer spent Wednesday evening walking a section of South Washington Avenue dressed as the Statue of Liberty, trying to earn a little extra cash directing traffic into Liberty Tax Service. Having recently come to Scranton from South Florida, the difference in temperatures was more than noticeable.
"The coldest it will get there is 32 (degrees)," Mr. Guyer, 23, said. "That's nothing compared to this."
Bitter temperatures will continue this week and a storm system is set to roll through the area Friday afternoon, said AccuWeather meteorologist Tom Kines.
That means outdoor workers won't be getting a break anytime soon.
Wednesday's temperatures reached 15 degrees with a low of 2, AccuWeather senior meteorologist Mike Pigott said. The rest of the week will be cold, with today's temperatures no higher than 17 degrees and a low of zero. On Friday, a storm system will bring 1 to 2 inches of snow to the valley and 3 in the mountains, at a high of 20 degrees and a low of 12.
Jerry Rogers, ski patrol director at Snö Mountain, said Wednesday's temperatures were "brutal" but members of ski patrol are well equipped to deal with it. Not only is he moving constantly, he is properly dressed for the weather, avoiding cotton and other materials that retain moisture and by dressing in layers.
"Right now I don't feel cold," Mr. Rogers said.
And the weather isn't just affecting the workers; it slows large machinery significantly. Scranton DPW Director Mark Dougher said hydraulics on heavy machinery, garbage and recycling trucks slow in the severe cold, causing the garbage crushers and pumps on vehicles to stall.
"Our biggest concerns are the trucks freezing up," Mr. Dougher said.
He said they try to combat the problem with gel additives for different parts of the truck, as well as sending out salt trucks with DPW machines to aid them if they come across slippery roads, alleys and dead ends.
Back on South Washington Avenue, Mr. Guyer shuffled from foot to foot. He said he copes by moving around as much as possible, darting inside when he can to warm up. Although he is an Iowa native and no stranger to the cold, Wednesday's bitter temperatures made him pine for Miami where the high was 76 degrees.
Contact the writer: ksullivan@timesshamrock.com, @ksullivanTT on Twitter