Wet and freezing toes, a drippy nose, flurries of snow and a lot of businesses that are closed — this is how Aberdeen appears to be closing out 2021.

The snow that hit Grays Harbor County during Christmas weekend continued to affect a lot of people throughout the city on Tuesday, Dec. 28, including Aaron Buchanan, who was walking during the late morning hours to Walmart.

Buchanan, who was on the sidewalk in front of Zelasko Park, said Aberdeen doesn’t get snow like this during the holiday season.

“This is the first time I’ve seen it actually snow on Christmas that I can remember in this area,” he said. “It seems like we’re off to a heck of a start. If it keeps up like this, it’ll be one of the colder winters I’ve ever seen.”

It was 32 degrees — with a wind chill of 22 degrees — at 1 p.m., on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. It was just about as cold on Wednesday, Dec. 29. It was 30 degrees— with a wind chill of 22 degrees — at 10:53 a.m., according to NWS Seattle.

Buchanan, who said he is homeless, said the freezing temperatures have impacted him quite a bit.

“(It’s) just because I’m out in it most of the time,” he said. “Thank goodness they have opened a cold-weather shelter.”

Buchanan said he heads out to the Aberdeen Cold Weather Shelter, at 100 S. K St., which shares a building with Harbor Calvary Church. The shelter, which is run by WHOLE Harbor, is right next to Minuteman Press in Aberdeen.

“(The shelter) has even extended the hours while it’s snowing like this,” Buchanan said. “Otherwise a lot of us homeless people would be literally freezing to death.”

Buchanan said the shelter was open 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., but now the warming shelter is open from 5 p.m. to 9 a.m. He said he also really likes the staff.

“Real friendly staff (there,)” he said. “But that’s sort of been my saving grace, clearly. Otherwise, I’d kind of not be doing very well.”

Buchanan said the cold and snowy weather isn’t something he usually experiences in Aberdeen and that the people out attempting to drive in it aren’t navigating the roads so well.

“A lot of people don’t know how to drive in it,” he said. “We don’t get a lot of snow here usually. This is kind of out of the ordinary. We usually get some in January, a little bit.”

Buchanan said the area doesn’t usually get much snow and that it usually doesn’t last. He prefers that it clear soon.

“I just hope it doesn’t last all winter,” he said. “I imagine it will (snow) off and on. I just hope everybody stays safe.