Frigid Wind Chills Expected Today

The coldest air of the season will be with us through the start of the upcoming weekend. Low temperatures dropped into the lower single digits inland and upper single numbers along the immediate shoreline early this morning. However, a gusty Northwest wind will develop today, and wind chill values are expected to be close to zero for much of the day. Yes, bundle up!

Exposure to brutally cold wind chills for even a brief period of time can be dangerous. Make sure you're bundled up before heading outside, and keep your extremities covered. The wind chill is based on the rate of heat loss on exposed skin caused by the wind and cold. As the wind increases, it draws heat from the body, driving down the skin temperature and eventually the body temperature.

The adjacent photo (click to enlarge) is a wind chill chart. Feel free to print the chart and keep it handy. It shows corresponding values for the air temperature and wind speed. Today, for example, when the high temperature struggles to reach 20 degrees and the wind is blowing at 20 miles an hour, the wind chill will be between zero and five degrees above zero. At this wind chill temperature, exposed skin can freeze in 30 minutes!

Frostbite occurs when body tissue freezes. The most susceptible parts of the body are the 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. Get medical attention immeditaely for frostbite. The affected area should be slowly warmed.

Hypothermia occurs when the body temperature falls below 95 degrees. Warning signs include uncontrollable shivering, memory loss, disorientation, incoherence, slurred speech, drowsiness, and exhaustion. Get medical attention immediately. If help is not available, begin warming the body slowly.

Warm the body core first, and not the extremities. Warming extremities first drives the cold blood to the heart and can cause the body temperature to drop even more. That may ultimately lead to heart failure. Do not take any hot beverage or food. About 20% of cold-related deaths occur in the home, according to the National Weather Service Office.

Obviously, the best way to avoid hypothermia and frostbite is to stay warm and dry indoors. If you must go outside, dress appropriately. Wear several layers of loose-fitting, lightweight, warm clothing. The trapped air inside the layers will insulate the body. Remove the layers to avoid sweating and subsequent chill. Wear a hat since half of body heat can be lost from the head. Cover your mouth to protect the lungs from the extreme cold. Mittens are actually better than gloves. Try to stay dry and out of the wind.

Remember, as far as the wind chill is concerned, it only affects people and animals. The only effect the wind chill has on inanimate objects such as car radiators and water pipes is that it cools the object more quickly to the current air temperature. For example,if the outside air temperature is five degrees below zero and the wind chill temperature is -31 degrees, then the car's radiator will not drop lower than -5.

I hope this helps. I know I'll be bundled up when I go outside today. Adding insult to injury will be an area of low pressure which will bring some light, fluffy snow to the region late tomorrow and tomorrow night. Perhaps an inch or two of snow will accumulate. However, temperatures are expected to moderate well into the 40s by the middle of next week. I can hardly wait.

Paul