Winter this year has brought snow, sleet, freezing rain, icy roads, and cold temperatures. But it's about to get and feel even colder next week.
Temperatures will drop into the low teens Monday and continue to fall into the single digits Tuesday morning. During this time, winds will also be breezy, leading to dangerously cold wind chills.
Wind chill advisories and warnings used to be issued by the National Weather Service when wind chills were expected to fall to at least -15°F. Starting last year, the alert names for dangerously cold wind chills changed. A Wind Chill Advisory became a Cold Weather Advisory and a Wind Chill Warning became a Cold Weather Warning.
A Cold Weather Advisory is issued when wind chills are forecast to be -15° to -24°.
A Cold Weather Warning is issued when wind chills are forecast to be -25° or colder.
The wind chill is determined by using the air temperature and wind speed. As temperatures drop and wind speeds increase, it feels colder. As wind speed increases, it takes heat from the body through the skin. As wind chills approach -20°, frostbite can happen on exposed skin in 30 minutes. As the skin temperature continues to drop, eventually the internal body temperature also drops and can cause hypothermia.
It is important to limit time outside during cold and windy winter days. If you do need to be outside, cover up with coats, thick pants, gloves, scarves, hats, and even goggles to protect your skin.
