National Weather Service
The National Weather Service has implemented some changes to the cold weather products that they issue. These changes are effective as of today, October 1, 2024.
The products that used to be issued were called the Wind Chill Watch, Wind Chill Warning, and the Wind Chill Advisory.
These products have been changed into the Extreme Cold Watch, Extreme Cold Warning, and the Cold Weather Advisory.
Along with these changes, the criteria for issuing these products has changed slightly.
The main reason for these changes is to have better consistency across the US in relation to climatology of cold weather.
These products remove any wind speed requirement and are issued when the actual temperature and/or wind chill temperature reaches these thresholds.
Regardless of the wind speed, cold is cold!
Extremely cold air comes every winter into at least part of the country and affects millions of people across the United States. The arctic air can be dangerous. Combined with brisk winds, dangerously cold wind chill values can result.
People exposed to extreme cold are susceptible to frostbite and can succumb to hypothermia in a matter of minutes. Areas most prone to frostbite are uncovered skin and the extremities, such as hands and feet. Hypothermia occurs when the body loses heat faster than it can produce it.