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CHICAGO (CBS) ―

People across the Chicago area are already coping with the cold.

Just stand outside for a few minutes and you can see why in this kind of weather, it does not take much time for the cold to put you and your car out of commission.

"We were afraid of this, it's been a little touchy and when it's cold like this it just won't go," said Mariclaire Kerrigan, a towing customer.

When Kerrigan woke up Friday, her fears were confirmed: her son's car would not start.

"We're hoping it's cold related and just something simple," she said.

But this bitter cold is making some people happy. Gross Pointe towing in Northbrook is busy. Owner John Meyers says you can take steps to avoid becoming his customer.

"Making sure that your battery is checked before the cold weather comes in -- that's the biggest thing," Meyers said. "Batteries last three to five years and some people figure the car's been starting fine; but it takes more power for the battery as it gets colder to start your car."

The cold is not easy on people either. Wesley George came home for his weekend Navy leave with only a small amount of clothes on his back. But it won't be enough to protect him from the weekend's single digit temperatures.

Mary Moreno was on her way to work when she slipped.

"I started walking across the lot, hit a patch of ice, my feet went up and my butt went down and I hit my head," Moreno said.

Luckily for Moreno, she didn't have far to go for help.

She's a nurse at Evanston Hospital where the ER has a ton of traffic.

"We usually see hip fractures, we see a lot of slips and falls in parking lots," said Dr. Joseph Mitton, an ER doctor at Evanston Hospital.

Unfortunately, the worst is yet to come. Temperatures are expected to plummet over the weekend to dangerous levels.

CBS 2's Ed Curran reports the temperature at O'Hare International Airport was 8 degrees at 5:10 a.m., with a wind chill of -2. At Midway International Airport, the temperature was a little higher, at 10 degrees.

Later in the day, temperatures will reach seasonable highs around 28. But the air temperature drops to 2 overnight, and on Saturday, the forecast high is a mere 6 degrees, with an overnight low on Saturday night of -2. Wind chills overnight Saturday will drop to -20. 

"I probably won't go outside at all, so I won't have to think about what I have to wear," said Chicagoan Meredith Shaiv.

She's not alone. At Whole Foods in the South Loop, lots of people were stocking up for a weekend at home.

"I find myself buying comfort food, if you want to call it that," said Chicagoan Laura Barsotti.

And if folks have to go outside, they're keeping it to a minimum.

"I normally take the CTA, but it's too cold for it," said Whole Foods employee Dominique Gougis.

Fortunately, the extreme cold snap is only expected to last a couple of days. So lots of longtime residents just bundle up and bear it.

"Once you live here for a while, you get used to it," said Chicago resident Dan Levette. "It's January, what do you want?"

A lot of us are inclined to say we might as well deal with it, but the temperatures are cold enough for the city Office of Emergency Management and Communications to warn us to stay indoors and keep trips outside as brief as possible.

The city is especially worried about the homeless. For those who have no other places to go, the city operates five warming centers, and has also designated libraries, senior centers and police stations as places where Chicagoans can get out of the cold.

The Garfield Center, at 10 S. Kedzie Ave., is open 24 hours. The other four warming centers are:

-- The Levy Center at 2019 W. Lawrence Ave.;
-- The Copernicus Center at 3160 N. Milwaukee Ave.;
-- The Southwest Center, at 6117 S. Kedzie Ave.,
-- The Southeast Center, 1767 E. 79th St.

Those four warming centers are open from 9 a.m.-8 p.m.

Tony Ruiz, Executive Director of Chicago's Office of Emergency Management and Communications said Thursday that residents worried about neighbors or elderly family members should "call 311 to get an outreach team. We'll do a well being check and arrange for the necessary assistance."

When air temperatures drop below zero, hospital rooms expect to be busy with cases of frostbite. Doctors say it's important to protect your skin, even if you're only outside for a short time.

"Supposedly tonight it's going to be negative 15 degree windchill," Mitton said. "Negative 15 degree wind chill you can get frost bite in 20 minutes."

Dr. Janet Lin, a physician at the University of Illinois-Chicago Medical Center, said, "you're freezing the cells and so the pain is probably the first thing that you actually see. The worrisome thing is when you don't; when you actually freeze the cells, then the cells could actually die off."

Anyone going out is encouraged to dress in layers with socks, hats and gloves.

To avoid water problems inside, Chicago's water commissioner advised homeowners to run a small trickle of water to keep pipes from freezing.

"This tap should be one of the one's thats furthest from where your water service enters your building. Generally, that would be in the back of the building on one of the top floors. That way, the whole plumbing system is engaged," Water Management Commissioner John Spatz said.

In addition, Spatz advises homeowners to keep rooms with pipes heating and insulate all pipes. If pipes freeze, homeowners may call 311, or contact the department directly at (312) 744-4H20. 

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