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Near-zero windchills, chance of snow

Strong gusts made the season's coldest day so far feel even more frigid overnight and this morning, as the city swept the homeless into shelters for their safety.

Strong gusts made the season's coldest day so far feel even more frigid overnight and this morning, as the city swept the homeless into shelters for their safety.

The temperature hit 19 at 4 a.m. at Philadelphia International Airport, and was still only 22 at 10 a.m., with gusts up to nearly 40 m.p.h., producing a windchill of 5.

From Lancaster to Doylestown to Atlantic City, windchills were in the single digits, while Mount Pocono was reporting 10 degrees that felt like minus-10.

A Code Blue were put into effect last evening for Philadelphia, and anyone seeing a homeless person on the street in need of assistance was asked to call the Office of Supportive Housing hotline at 215-232-1984. Most homeless people know to go to the city's shelters (see details below).

Today's high might not hit 30, and Wednesday's could be subfreezing, too, with highs under 40 and lows in the 20s likely to continue into next week.

A slight chance of snow showers is forecast for today and Wednesday. "A light accumulation is very possible in spots" today, according to a National Weather Service report.

"We are anticipating a fair amount of cloud cover and isolated snow showers again for tonight and Wednesday, with a little sunshine possible for Thursday," it continues.

A weekend storm could be a worry, but models suggest it will remain off the coast and bypass South Jersey.

For more on the forecast, go to http://go.philly.com/weather.

Shelter information: The shelter at 1360 Ridge Avenue is open for single adult males 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Two shelters about a block apart are available for single women and families with children. Weekdays, from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., go to 1430 Cherry St. (215-686-7150 or 51). After 4 p.m., go to the Eliza Shirley Shelter, 1320 Arch St. (215-568-5111).