As temperatures start dropping and cold weather comes our way, it is important to be aware of the ways you can keep safe in the cold. While monitoring air temperature is important, another factor to consider is wind chill. If the temperature is 12 degrees and winds are 9 miles per hour, then wind chill will feel like 0 degrees. While this wind chill range does not fall into the scientific range of frostbite for a 30 minute or shorter exposure, frostbite risk depends on how someone is dressed and whether or not they are wet.
“Wind chill is what the temperature ‘feels like’ outside and is based on the rate of heat loss from exposed skin caused by the effects of wind and cold,” said Karyn Yaussy, Catawba County Emergency Management Coordinator. “As the wind increases, the body is cooled at a faster rate causing the skin temperature to drop. Wind chill does not impact inanimate objects like car radiators and exposed water pipes, because these objects cannot cool below the actual air temperature.”
• A Wind Chill Warning means wind chill temperatures are life threatening.
• A Wind Chill Advisory is issued when wind chill temperatures are potentially hazardous.
Frostbite is an injury to the body caused by freezing body tissue. The most susceptible parts of the body are the extremities such as fingers, toes, ear lobes, or the tip of the nose. Symptoms include a loss of feeling in the extremity and a white or pale appearance. Medical attention is needed immediately for frostbite. The area should be slowly re-warmed.
Hypothermia is abnormally low body temperature (below 95 degrees Fahrenheit). Warning signs include uncontrollable shivering, memory loss, disorientation, incoherence, slurred speech, drowsiness, and apparent exhaustion. Medical attention is needed immediately.
Tips on how to dress during cold weather:
- Wear layers of loose-fitting, lightweight, warm clothing. Trapped air between the layers will insulate you. Outer garments should be tightly woven, water repellent, and hooded.
- Wear a hat, because 40% of your body heat can be lost from your head.
- Cover your mouth to protect your lungs from extreme cold.
- Mittens, snug at the wrist, are better than gloves.
- Try to stay dry and out of the wind.
“Don’t forget that family pets are cold sensitive, too,” Yaussy said. “Make sure they spend only limited time outdoors when temperatures drop. If they are outdoors, dogs and cats need access to a protected, draft free shelter that is large enough for your pet to turn around and lie down but small enough to hold in their body heat. They need access to drinking water that is not frozen and may need extra food to compensate for the extra calories burned when they are cold.”
"These guidelines are for your information, but we also urge you to stay on top of changing weather conditions by monitoring local TV/radio stations (Charlotte or Hickory) or an internet source such as the National Weather Service,” Yaussy added.
For more information on dealing with extreme cold, visit www.weather.gov.
