DAVENPORT — The lowest temperature ever recorded in Moline was set early Thursday, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Tim Gross.
It hit minus 33 overnight to break a Feb. 21, 1991, record of minus 27 and put many outdoor thermometers at risk of shattering.
Local hospitals said people apparently heeded media messages about the "grossly" cold conditions.
"We have had only a couple of cases of a weather-related injuries across all campuses since yesterday," said UnityPoint spokesman Bailey Sullivan. "It appears that people are heeding the abundance of winter warnings and taking extra precautions, as instructed."
Genesis West patients must also have heard the warnings, spokesman Craig Cooper said. Cooper reported two cases of frostbite at Genesis West and one patient admitted for hypothermia treatment at Genesis East.
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Quad Cities Concrete Products, of Milan, maker of vaults and performs graveside services, went ahead with service plans Thursday morning, according to a company spokesman.
It was cold enough to prompt one family to delay Geneseo graveside services until Saturday, according to Shaun Russell, lead laborer at the Geneseo Cemetery. Russell said members of the late man's family couldn't be there, so they rescheduled.
"In reality, it comes down to what families and funeral homes want to do, and if they think it's too dangerous for people to be there or not," Russell said.
Russell has to lay out a 4-by-10-foot site to accommodate a gravesite, with metal pins marking the dimensions. That way, he can easily locate them using a metal detector, he said.
"Other than that, I will have to contend to all the snow on the ground," Russell said.
The amount of snow he will need to remove will make that a little easier, because it makes soil underneath softer, he said.
Gross said the record-breaking temperature was set despite calm winds. Cold Canadian winds coming down was to blame, he said.
"Conditions were just right to cause it," Gross said. The normal high for Jan. 31 is 32, he said. Temperatures are expected to rise and start melting snow by Saturday, Gross said.
Snowstar Winter Park, in Andalusia, is eager for those temperatures to climb. After being closed by the weather for two days, the facility planned to reopen Thursday night with special activities starting at 4 p.m. Friday, according to office manager Melody Grove.
Photos: QC vs. the Vortex
QC Winter Weather
Amanda Schiffke and her daughter, Lakelynn Schiffke, 14, of Moline, wait for the bus at the intersection of 41st Street and 16th Avenue in Moline in January. According the the National Weather Service Moline set a new all-time low temperature of minus 33 on Jan. 31, 2019.
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Albert Stewart, of Rock Island, shovels off the roof of Country Style Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019, in Moline. According to the National Weather Service, Moline set a record low this morning with temperatures hitting -33.
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A man waits for the bus along 41st Street in Moline Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019. According to the National Weather Service, Moline set a record low this morning with temperatures hitting minus 33.
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Guy Floresco, of Moline, takes a break from along 41st Street to the grocery store Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019, in Moline. According to the National Weather Service, Moline set a record low this morning with temperatures dipping to minus 33.
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The temperature on the Blackhawk Bank & Trust sign read minus 26 degrees at 6:58 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019, in Coal Valley.
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Guy Floresco, of Moline, walks along 41st Street on his way to the grocery store Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019, in Moline. According to the National Weather Service, Moline set a record low this morning with temperatures hitting -33.
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Dameon Stewart, of Rock Island, shovels off the roof of Country Style Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019, in Moline. According to the National Weather Service, Moline set a record low this morning with temperatures hitting -33.
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Albert Stewart, of Rock Island, and his son Dameon, shovel the roof of Moline's Country Style on Thursday. According to the National Weather Service, Moline set a record low with temperatures hitting minus 33.
QC Winter Weather
QC Winter Weather
Dave Hogeboom, of Coal Valley, takes Meeka, a 7-year-old mix, for a short walk around his neighborhood Thursday in Coal Valley. The extremely cold temperatures over the last few days prevented the duo from talking their regular walk.
QC Winter Weather
Dave Hogeboom, of Coal Valley, takes Meeka, a 7-year-old mix, for a short walk around his neighborhood Jan. 31, 2019, in Coal Valley. The extremely cold temperatures over several days had prevented the duo from talking their regular walk.
Moline House Fire
Moline Fire Inspector Jerry Spiegel walks up a frozen 11 Street A, to help collect hoses used to extinguish a morning house fire Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019, in Moline.
