An early morning temperature of 10 below forced the closing of the Indianapolis and Pike schools in Marion County. Other schools are also shut or on a 2-hour delay. Read the complete list of closings and delays

The dangerously cold weather gripping Central Indiana will not let up until at least Saturday, weather officials said Thursday, so take precautions.

Bone-chilling temperatures predicted to dip to 10 below zero -- the coldest temperature in Indianapolis since 1994 -- will move out by tonight and make way for a warmer 27 degrees by Saturday afternoon.

But before it does, the extreme cold will bring an extra risk: wind chill factors as low as minus 30, leading the National Weather Service to issue a wind-chill warning through this afternoon. The high today will reach only 7 degrees.

If you must be outdoors, the Indiana State Department of Health advises that you protect against hypothermia and frostbite by wearing loose-fitting layers of clothing and covering exposed skin.

While there is no snowfall in the forecast today, beware of icy spots on area roadways. The bigger headache may be getting your car moving.

The demand for wrecker services means longer waits for help. Be patient, said Brian Meyer, general manager of Delaware & South Towing, whose drivers could expect to handle 30 runs at any one time.

The AAA Hoosier Motor Club got 1,000 calls Thursday for roadside assistance in its 50-county coverage area, said spokesman Greg Seiter. They had reached 617 stranded motorists by 6:45 p.m.

Frigid morning temperatures are harder on cars than snow, Seiter said. Most of the calls for help to AAA have been for dead batteries, frozen car locks and flat tires from potholes.

Like many school districts, Perry Township was on a two-hour delay Thursday and planned the same strategy today.

"What it does is give some light to our children, so they can wait inside the house (instead of at the bus stop) and watch for the bus down the street," said Superintendent Tom Little.

Indianapolis Public Schools was to decide early this morning if the weather will allow it to delay classes for 34,000 students.

The cold temperatures idled garbage collectors in Indianapolis on Thursday and could again today.

According to the City's Solid Waste Master Agreement, when ambient temperatures fall below minus 5, or the wind chill is below minus 22, employees don't venture out, said Steve Hardiman, a Department of Public Works spokesman.

If today's temperatures are above those levels, the garbage collectors will get Thursday's trash today, and today's trash on Saturday. If today is a no-go, garbage collectors will work double-time on Saturday to collect both Thursday's and today's trash.

A weather-related power outage forced St. Francis Hospital to stop accepting patients and left about 4,000 homes and businesses on the Far Southside in the dark Thursday.

A power line failure was reported at 8:30 p.m., cutting electricity to customers from Southport Road to County Line Road and from Madison Avenue to Arlington Avenue, Indianapolis Power & Light Co. spokeswoman Crystal Livers-Powers said. Crews were repairing the damaged lines late Thursday, she said.

Other scattered power outages were reported throughout the county, including the Chatham Arch area Downtown.

For Paul E. Smith Plumbing, Thursday started quietly, said division Vice President Jim Baughman. But as the day progressed, the Westside company got more and more calls from residents who discovered frozen pipes, keeping its 24 plumbers busy.

Keeping a thin stream of water running does help keep pipes from freezing, said Paul Whitmore of Indianapolis Water. Opening a cabinet door to warm pipes isn't as effective as insulation, he added.

The cold snap has led to heavy use of natural gas. Citizens Gas officials say the demand on Thursday was almost twice as much as on a typical January day, said Dan Considine, gas company spokesman.

"We'll be pulling hard from our storage fields," he said, referring to underground storage in Greene and Marion counties. "We expect to meet demand."

Citizens Gas' daily demand set a record on Jan. 18, 1994, when the low was 22 below.

One week after the city began raising money for the Winter Assistance Fund, people already are requesting help.

The fund has released about $28,500 to pay heating bills for those in need, while $20,000 has been donated in the past week, said Mary Kinney, public relations manager of United Way of Central Indiana.

Connect2Help, the agency that takes calls for the heating fund through the 211 information number, has seen a 200 percent increase in requests for heating help compared with last winter.

"We're getting a lot more calls from people who are unemployed," said Lynn M. Engel, chief executive of Connect2Help.

Last week, the Winter Assistance Fund campaign began with $620,000 in donations toward a goal of $750,000.