By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

Schools in several local school systems will run on a two-hour delay on Thursday, Feb. 19, according to information sent out by the systems on the afternoon of Feb. 18.

All Shelby County, Pelham, Hoover and Alabaster schools will open two hours later than usual because of an extremely low wind chill forecast for the morning of Feb. 19.

Hilltop Montessori School in Mt Laurel will delay opening until 10 a.m., and carpool will begin at 9:45 a.m.

“Due to severe freezing temperatures, in addition to a wind chill advisory for Shelby County, as reported by the National Weather Service for Thursday morning, February 19, and in collaboration with our Shelby County EMA, Shelby County Schools will delay the opening of schools by two hours,” read an email from the Shelby County School System.

Buses will run two hours later than normal, and breakfast will not be served. The schools will operate under normal conditions after the two-hour delay.

According to the National Weather Service in Calera, Shelby County is under a wind chill advisory until 10 a.m. on Feb. 19. In an alert issued on Feb. 18, the NWS warned of wind chills as low as minus 4 degrees overnight and in the early morning hours, and said the temperatures can lead to hypothermia and frostbite.