Friday morning brought a low temperature of -3 degrees and Floyd County Schools will spend Friday as the fifth straight day without classes as cancellations close out the week.

The forecasts of super extremes of nine to 11 degrees below zero came up short in most area but the weather outside was still very cold and the high today is not expected to reach 30.

Bitter weather also brought postponement of Thursday night’s conference basketball game for the Lady Buffaloes at James River High School at Buchanan.

That game is now set for Tuesday, February 24, at 6 p.m. against a still undetermined opponent since the game to determine that opponent was also postponed by weather.

For the basketball boys, their opening conference game against Giles was originally scheduled for Monday of this week, then pushed back to Tuesday, then Wednesday and is now set for Friday, weather, of course, permitting.

The week of snow and freezing weather has sent the high school tournament scheduled into a mess of postponements.

Conference tournament postponements have now set back the regional playoffs which were supposed to start next week.

State wrestling and swim tournaments are also pushed back.

Forecasters now say a new “winter storm watch” will being 6-8 inches of snow info our area Saturday before turning to rain on Sunday.

The “wintry mix” could bring snow, sleet and freezing rain and, after a day of temperatures into the 40s on Sunday, the thermometer hover in the low 30s during the days of next week with lows below freezing.

After a relatively-benign winter in December and January, the full arctic freeze and threatening weather arrived in force to close out February.  March is expected as the proverbial “lion” is eight days.