WHATCOM COUNTY, Wash. — Whatcom County is dealing with record-breaking cold -- temperatures that haven't been seen in 73 years.
Wind gusts topped 50 miles per hour on Friday. At one point, the wind chill hit 24 below zero.
Only an unfortunate few braved the frigid temperatures across the county.
Temperatures hovered around 7 degrees with a "feels like" temperature in the negative teens.
Some folks had no choice but to be out in it.
"It's a little chilly out here today, yeah," jokes postal worker Trevor Fox, his face red from the unforgiving temperatures.
He couldn't let the cold keep him from his appointed rounds. Fox said he layered up, but sometimes it still wasn't enough.
"It's the wind. The wind is really what gets you," he said. "The temperatures aren't so bad, but the wind will go right through you."
Outreach workers made last-minute trips to homeless camps, urging people to come inside.
The city of Bellingham took the unusual step of adding a fourth warming center at a former homeless day center.
It will be open through the weekend, but because staff is busy at all of the other shelters, the additional center will likely be operated by city and county workers and even school district employees.
Because the wind and temperatures became so dangerous, schools canceled outdoor activities and kept kids inside for recess.
There were few signs of life at a waterfront construction site where crews were moved to work on projects.
Plumbing apprentice Nate Klineman was one of the lucky ones.
"I feel pretty blessed that I'm not working out in the cold," he said.
And the irony wasn't lost on Darryl Lankhaar. He works for a propane company -- delivering fuel for heat to workers at various job sites while he freezes outside.
"I have two pairs of gloves on. You try to keep your back to the wind so it's not blowing in your face. I cover my face up when I can," he said.
Doctors say you shouldn't be outside in temperatures this cold -- zero degrees or colder -- for more than 10 minutes.
Hypothermia can set in.
Because those symptoms happen gradually, people often don't know they have it until it's too late.