Buzz
This week, unprecedented freezing temperatures are sweeping across a significant portion of the United States. Some regions may encounter colder weather than ever before. Here’s how to prepare and protect yourself when the cold strikes.
Layer Up for Warmth
It might seem obvious, but if it’s been a while since you’ve had to truly bundle up, here are some key reminders:
Multiple thin layers can be just as effective as one heavy coat. If you lack a thick winter jacket, try layering a shirt, sweater, hoodie, and a lighter jacket. Add tights or leggings beneath your pants for extra insulation.
Mittens provide better warmth compared to gloves.
Ensure at least one of your outer layers is windproof. A lightweight rain jacket layered over sweaters can outperform a single, non-windproof coat.
Minimize exposed skin by covering up completely. Use a balaclava or scarf to protect your face.
Don’t underestimate the power of a hat, even when you’re indoors.
Monitor the Wind Chill Factor
Temperature alone doesn’t tell the full story. To gauge the risk of frostbite, the wind chill combines temperature and wind speed, providing a more precise measure of how cold the air will feel against your skin.
Weather services often use their own metrics, such as RealFeel or 'feels like,' which consider additional factors like sunlight and humidity. However, the concept remains similar. If the temperature is -4 but it 'feels like' -21, prioritize the latter figure.
Avoid prolonged outdoor exposure when wind chill levels are extremely low. If you must be outside, shield your skin from the cold—even turning your back to the wind can offer some relief. Refer to this useful chart from the National Weather Service or use their calculator here.
A wind chill warning indicates that your area is facing hazardous wind chill levels, where frostbite can occur in minutes. Less severe are a wind chill watch, signaling potential danger, and a wind chill advisory, which forecasts extremely cold conditions.
Keeping an eye on extremely low wind chill or 'feels like' temperatures can help you schedule outdoor activities to minimize the risk of frostbite and hypothermia.
Preventing Frostbite
Understanding Frostbite
Frostbite occurs when body tissues, typically the face, ears, fingers, or toes, freeze due to extreme cold. In severe cases, it may lead to amputation. While poor circulation increases the risk, anyone can be affected.
Warning Signs to Monitor
Frostbite can be hard to detect on yourself, as numbness in your face or fingers often occurs before visible symptoms appear.
To identify frostbite in others, watch for skin that looks white, grayish-yellow, or has a firm, waxy texture.
If you notice redness or experience pain, it’s a clear signal to seek warmth immediately.
Steps to Take
If someone shows signs of frostbite, the CDC advises considering two critical questions:
Is it possible to get this person medical assistance?
Are they also suffering from hypothermia? (Hypothermia is a critical emergency and should be addressed first.)
If you’re reading this in a home setting rather than a remote arctic area, it’s best to visit the nearest emergency room or urgent care clinic instead of attempting to treat frostbite yourself.
Regardless, it’s crucial to gradually and gently warm the affected areas. Avoid walking on frostbitten toes if possible, as this can worsen the damage. However, make your way to a warm environment as soon as you can.
Next, use lukewarm (not hot) water or gentle heat sources, such as tucking frostbitten fingers under your armpits to warm them with body heat. Be prepared, as thawing frozen tissue can be quite painful. Eric Mack shared his experience at Forbes:
I recall a man asking me to extend my hands. He pressed the frozen tips of my fingers, and I felt nothing—no sensation, just the numbness that had persisted since midway through the journey.
A bowl of lukewarm water was placed in my lap, and I began the lengthy and agonizing process of thawing my eight frostbitten fingertips. For what felt like hours—though it was likely only 20 minutes—my fingers throbbed as sharp pains signaled the reawakening of my nerves.
Preventing Hypothermia
Understanding Hypothermia
Hypothermia occurs when the body’s temperature drops dangerously low. While our bodies typically generate enough heat to maintain a stable core temperature, prolonged exposure to cold can cause heat loss to outpace heat production.
Hypothermia isn’t limited to winter; it can also occur in cool conditions, especially if someone is wet—such as after falling into water or sweating heavily during physical activity.
Warning Signs to Monitor
A drop in body temperature impairs brain function, so someone with hypothermia may not realize they’re in danger. According to the CDC, here are some observable signs in others:
Confusion or slurred speech
Shivering
Extreme fatigue
Difficulty moving, such as clumsiness with hands
In infants, cold, red skin and lethargy.
Check the person’s temperature. If it’s below 95 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s a medical emergency. If they lose consciousness, seek immediate medical attention. If they have no pulse or stop breathing, administer CPR while waiting for help.
Steps to Take
This situation also calls for medical assistance, but if help isn’t immediately available, you should gradually and carefully warm the person up.
Move them to a warm location
Take off any wet clothes
Focus on warming their torso first, preferably using electric blankets. Skin-to-skin contact under blankets can also be effective.
If they’re conscious and able to drink, provide warm, non-alcoholic beverages like tea to help raise their body temperature.
Once their temperature stabilizes, keep them wrapped in blankets and dressed in dry clothing, ensuring their head and neck are covered.
Indoor Safety Measures
Maintain a Warm Home
During extreme cold, your heating system may struggle, particularly if your home lacks proper insulation.
If your heating fails or your system can’t cope, close off unused rooms. Space heaters can be useful, but ensure they’re kept away from flammable materials.
Never operate a generator indoors or use a gas oven for heating. Both can release carbon monoxide, a deadly, odorless gas. Ensure you have a carbon monoxide detector installed; if not, purchase one immediately.
Prevent Frozen Pipes
Pipes located in exterior walls are prone to freezing. Learn how to shut off your water supply if needed, and check if your pipes are insulated. If your pipes have frozen before, be prepared for it to happen again.
To minimize the risk of frozen pipes, let both hot and cold faucets drip overnight and open cabinet doors near pipes, such as those under sinks. This allows more heat to reach the pipes.
If pipes freeze, use a hair dryer to thaw them—never an open flame. Starting a house fire is definitely not the kind of warmth you’re aiming for.
Update 2/1/2019: We mistakenly reversed “advisory” and “warning” in the section about wind chill advisories and warnings. A warning is the most severe of the three.
