January has been cold. Extremely cold.

A warming center has opened in Limestone County, water lines have burst as temperatures dipped as low as 8 degrees and warmed only to the teens or low 20s at times.

In Florida, some parts of the sunshine state are so cold that iguanas are falling out of the trees as far south as Miami.

And when it comes to weather, it’s hard to sound scarier than “bomb cyclone,” as noted in an Associated Press story.

It’s a version of a real weather term that applies to a massive winter storm that pulled together off the U.S. Southeast coast.

But as fearsome as the storm is with high winds and some snow, it may not be quite as explosive as the term sounds.

Meteorologists have used the term “bomb” for storms for decades, based on a strict definition, said University of Oklahoma meteorology professor Jason Furtado.

“Bombogenesis is the technical term. Bomb cyclone is a shortened version of it, better for social media,” said Weather.US meteorologist Ryan Maue. “The actual impacts aren’t going to be a bomb at all. There’s nothing exploding or detonating.”

Maybe not exploding, but the weather has been miserable for everyone. From those who work outdoors to provide valuable services for the community to anyone who has to walk to venture outside, the weather is frigid.

As soon as temperatures began to dip, area officials and volunteers went to work setting up warming centers for residents who have no heating or an inadequate source of warmth.

Salem Springs Baptist Church on Alabama 99 has been available since Wednesday evening.

The good news locally is that temperatures will begin become more moderate this weekend, especially Sunday. Whether winter will come back with this kind of biting force in the weeks ahead remains to be seen.

Nonetheless, it is pleasing to see the quick reaction of officials and volunteers to provide warming centers and quickly respond with de-icer on roads that became hazardous after water lines broke.

Those workers braving the cold to perform those tasks and the officers who directed traffic deserve a lot of credit and thanks.

In the meantime, check on your neighbors if you suspect their heating source is questionable or if they have illnesses that could be affected by the cold. And don’t forget to care for your pets; the cold is deadly to them if not provided a warm place during January’s big chill.

— The Cullman Times