ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Sunday, March 10, 1996                 TAG: 9603110052
SECTION: VIRGINIA                 PAGE: B-5  EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: LISA K. GARCIA STAFF WRITER 

IT'S NEVER BEEN THIS COLD BEFORE

Record cold temperature collapsed the first leaves of daffodils, crocuses and tulips, and slow-moving arctic air foretells more cold weather.

Saturday morning, Roanoke's 12-degree air beat its 1960 record by 2 degrees. Jan Jackson, meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said the arctic air credited for the stifling cold is moving slowly.

``It will be Thursday before we see normal temperatures - close to 60 degrees,'' he said.

The normal low for this time of year is nearly three times Saturday's record. Highs usually hit 55 and lows about 34, Jackson said.

The large pocket of arctic air pushed south by the jet stream is in the wrong neighborhood and is taking its time moving out.

But gardeners need not rush out and throw blankets over flowers.

``The bottom line: No big worry,'' said John Arbogast, an agricultural and natural resources extension agent.

Arbogast said the cold may turn foliage brown, but blooms should not be affected. The early bloomers are adapted for cooler temperatures, and their bulbs will not suffer, he added.

Frozen petals were not nearly as troublesome as frozen pipes.

Stan Pickard of Stan's Plumbing Repairs in Roanoke said people caught off guard by the unseasonable cold could try to thaw pipes using a hair dryer if the ice is not too thick; otherwise, they may just have to wait for the thaw. Adding insulation or leaving the water on just enough to drip will prevent freezing in the future, he said.

Jackson predicted the records for Roanoke will continue to be broken and new ones may be set today and Monday as temperatures drop into the teens.

``We could set records three days in a row,'' he said.

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