The Bucks County Commissioners today issued a Code Blue declaration that will take effect Thursday evening and extend well into the weekend as forecasters predict temperatures plummeting about 30 degrees.

The declaration, made in conjunction with the county Departments of Health and Emergency Management, is effective from 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13, to 7 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 16.

During the Code Blue period, overnight shelters will be open in Lower, Central and Upper Bucks County for those in need of cold-weather housing.

The National Weather Service is predicting that temperatures will plunge about 30 degrees in Lower Bucks County, with winds of 11 to 14 mph. Colder temperatures are expected in Central and Upper Bucks

Friday should be sunny with a high temperature around 35 degrees, but overnight temperatures are predicted to plummet to 13 degrees in Lower Bucks. Skies will remain clear into Saturday, when temperatures will hit the low 30s, followed by another cold night in the mid- to low 20s.

The available shelters for this time period are:

Lower Bucks: Calvary Baptist Church, 250 Green Lane, Bristol

Central Bucks: Doylestown Presbyterian Church, 127 East Court Street, Doylestown

 Upper Bucks: Quakertown Masonic Lodge, 501 West Broad Street, Quakertown

Emergency Management has notified the above shelters of the Code Blue declaration. On-call volunteers from each location will coordinate transportation, temporary shelter, food and other necessities. Local public safety departments also have been alerted.

All county residents are urged to monitor their pets and any neighbors who are elderly or have special needs during times of extreme weather.

Anyone working outside is urged to be properly dressed, with skin covered. Alternate heat sources should be used with caution, as they can present a carbon monoxide hazard.

For more information on the shelters, please visit:

Advocates for Homeless and Those in Need: www.ahtn.org

Coalition to Shelter and Support the Homeless: www.co2ssh.org

Upper Bucks Code Blue Info: www.facebook.com/Upper-Bucks-Code-Blue-311731318930218/

For additional shelter information, please call Bucks County Housing Link at 1-800-810-4434.

For general cold weather information, please check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website: www.emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/winter

If you are currently homeless officials encourage reporting to one of the shelters available because extended exposure in the predicted conditions can be harmful.