Staff photo by Clay Schuldt The in-stock battery shelf at Wal-mart’s automotive shelf took a big hit after the recent cold spell, but a new shipment of car batteries is expected this week.

NEW ULM — Over the last week southwestern Minnesota has faced a cold snap with the temperature rarely rising above zero degrees Fahrenheit. The cold temperatures are dangerous for people, and they also wreak havoc on vehicles; particularly the battery.

Several area auto parts dealers have reported an increased demand for car batteries over the last few weeks. It is not uncommon for a single store to sell over a dozen car batteries in a single day. Some have even reported a shortage.

“We go through a dozen batteries a day when its cold,” Auto Value employee Sue Meyer said.

The demand for car batteries is so high Auto Value has new batteries delivered twice a day. There is an overnight shipment and an afternoon delivery.

Jessie Thornton at O’Reilly Auto Parts said they sell an average of 10 to 15 car batteries on a weekday. It is a fairly common occurrence when cold weather arrives.

“The cold is a battery killer,” she said, “but it’s not just the cold weather, it’s short trips.”

The cold will drain a battery, especially on startup, but as long as the vehicle runs long enough to recharge the battery, everything should be fine. Unfortunately, a quick three-block trip to the store is not enough to recover that charge.

Asked what qualifies as a short trip, Thornton said anything under 30 minutes is likely too short. In terms of distance, she recommended to customers driving to Essig and back.

Meyer at Auto Value said a trip of six to seven miles should be enough to recharge a battery. Meyers added a car being kept outside should be run every day for least 15 minutes when the weather is cold to prevent the battery from freezing.

“Once that battery freezes, it could bulge out and it’s no good anymore,” Meyer said.

Wal-mart is one of the stores most impacted. Automative department staff said there was a run on batteries over the last four days.

“We’re still feeling it,” Wal-mart mechanic Matt Sparlin said. He estimated they had gone through at least two pallets worth of batteries. On an average day, the mechanics at Wal-mart have been installing between 15 and 20 car batteries.

Mechanic Peter Jordahl said that if you combine battery installations with the carryout purchases, the number of batteries sold is closer to 25 a day.

The problem is not limited to New Ulm. Jordahl said over the weekend he received a call from a person trying to find a replacement battery for a car in Mankato.

“Mankato is having the same problem as us,” he said.

Sparlin said a rush at Wal-mart’s automative department can be expected every time there is a snow storm. The winter weather kills not only batteries but also tires. The extra snow and ice on the road is often an indicator it’s time for new tires.

With temperatures reaching 33 degrees on Sunday, the sales rush for car batteries might be over, but it’s never a bad idea to check a battery. Most commercial car batteries have life expectancy of four to six years, and winter is far from over.