Extreme Cold

Winter storms create a higher risk of car accidents, hypothermia, frostbite, carbon monoxide poisoning, and heart attacks from overexertion. Winter storms including blizzards can bring extreme cold, freezing rain, snow, ice and high winds.

Frostbite causes loss of feeling and color around the face, fingers and toes.

• Signs: Numbness, white or grayish-yellow skin, firm or waxy skin.
• Actions: Go to a warm room. Soak in warm water. Use body heat to warm. Do not massage or use a heating pad.

Hypothermia is an unusually low body temperature. A temperature below 95 degrees is an emergency.

• Signs: Shivering, exhaustion, confusion, fumbling hands, memory loss, slurred speech or drowsiness.
• Actions: Go to a warm room. Warm the center of the body first—chest, neck, head and groin. Keep dry and wrapped up in warm blankets, including the head and neck.
• Minimize outside activities, particularly the elderly and very young. This also goes for pets.
• Dress in layers. Wear several loose-fitting, lightweight clothing items instead of one heavy layer. Make sure the outer garments are tightly woven and water repellent. Invest in high-quality thermal underwear and layer it beneath a turtleneck. Top it off with a wool sweater and a long coat or fleece-lined parka. Consider wearing runners’ tights underneath your pants for added warmth, which is even more effective than thermal underwear.
• Wear the right gear. Our bodies prioritize keeping our organs warm, so it’s important to protect our hands and feet from the cold. Consider wearing wool-lined winter gloves or heavy mittens, along with sturdy and waterproof boots. Don’t forget to wear a hat that covers your ears and use a scarf to cover your face and mouth for extra protection for your lungs.
• Excessive exposure can lead to frostbite, which is damaging to body tissues.  Frostbite causes a loss of feeling and a pale appearance in extremities, such as fingers, toes, ear lobes or the tip of the nose. If symptoms are detected, get out of the cold. Go to a warm room, soak in warm water. Do not massage or use a heating pad. 

For more information on extreme cold safety, visit Ready.gov new window or Weather.gov.