PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT   
   NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR   
   600 AM CST FRI NOV 15 2013   
      
   ...THE COLD OF WINTER...   
      
   NOVEMBER 11TH THROUGH 15TH IS WINTER WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK IN   
   ARKANSAS. PEOPLE ARE ASKED TO TAKE SOME TIME AND PREPARE FOR THE    
   UPCOMING WINTER SEASON.   
      
   TODAYS TOPIC IS THE COLD OF WINTER.   
      
   WHEN ARKANSANS THINK OF WINTER WEATHER...USUALLY A PICTURE OF   
   FALLING SNOW AND TEMPERATURES IN THE 20S AND LOWER 30S COMES TO MIND.   
   HOWEVER...WINTER WEATHER CAN BE NOT ONLY DANGEROUS...BUT POSSIBLY   
   DEADLY IN SOME CASES.   
      
   WINTER STORMS ARE CONSIDERED DECEPTIVE KILLERS BECAUSE MOST DEATHS   
   ARE INDIRECTLY RELATED TO THE STORM ITSELF. TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS ON   
   ICY ROADS ACCOUNT FOR A VAST MAJORITY OF DEATHS. HEART ATTACKS CAUSED   
   BY PEOPLE SHOVELING SNOW AND HYPOTHERMIA FROM PROLONGED EXPOSURE TO   
   THE COLD ARE ALSO CONSEQUENCES OF SEVERE WINTER WEATHER.   
      
   AN IMPORTANT FACTOR THIS WINTER WILL BE ENERGY COSTS. PRICES FOR   
   NATURAL GAS AND PROPANE COULD CAUSE SOME PEOPLE TO HEAT THEIR   
   HOMES INADEQUATELY IN AN EFFORT TO AVOID LARGE ENERGY BILLS.   
   IF TOO LITTLE HEAT IS USED...HYPOTHERMIA WILL BECOME A GREATER    
   THREAT THAN USUAL.    
      
   IN CASE OF POWER OUTAGES...GASOLINE OR DIESEL POWERED GENERATORS    
   MUST NOT BE USED INDOORS. CARBON MONOXIDE...A COLORLESS AND ODORLESS   
   GAS...CAN BUILD UP IN ENCLOSED AREAS SUCH AS HOUSES AND GARAGES AND   
   RESULT IN DEATH.    
      
   FROSTBITE...   
   FROSTBITE IS DAMAGE TO BODY TISSUE CAUSED BY THAT TISSUE BEING   
   FROZEN. IT CAUSES A LOSS OF FEELING AND A WHITE OR PALE APPEARANCE   
   IN EXTREMITIES...SUCH AS FINGERS...TOES...EARLOBES OR THE TIP OF THE   
   NOSE. IF SYMPTOMS ARE DETECTED...GET MEDICAL HELP IMMEDIATELY. IF YOU   
   MUST WAIT FOR HELP...BEGIN TO TREAT THE AFFECTED AREA BY WARMING IT   
   SLOWLY.   
      
   WIND CHILL...   
   WIND CHILL IS BASED ON THE RATE OF HEAT LOSS FROM EXPOSED SKIN CAUSED   
   BY THE COMBINED EFFECTS OF WIND AND COLD. AS THE WIND INCREASES...   
   HEAT IS CARRIED AWAY FROM THE BODY...DRIVING DOWN THE BODY   
   TEMPERATURE. REMEMBER THAT ANIMALS ARE AFFECTED BY WIND CHILL AS    
   WELL.   
      
                        W I N D    C H I L L    C H A R T   
   --------------------------------------------------------------------   
   :WIND:                       TEMPERATURE                           :   
   --------------------------------------------------------------------   
   :CALM: 35   30   25   20   15   10    5     0   -5  -10   -15   -20:   
   :  5 : 31   25   19   13    7    1   -5   -11  -16  -22   -28   -34:   
   : 10 : 27   21   15    9    3   -4  -10   -16  -22  -28   -35   -41:   
   : 15 : 25   19   13    6    0   -7  -13   -19  -26  -32   -39   -45:   
   : 20 : 24   17   11    4   -2   -9  -15   -22  -29  -35   -42   -48:   
   : 25 : 23   16    9    3   -4  -11  -17   -24  -31  -37   -44   -51:   
   : 30 : 22   15    8    1   -5  -12  -19   -26  -33  -39   -46   -53:   
   : 35 : 21   14    7    0   -7  -14  -21   -27  -34  -41   -48   -55:   
   ---------------------------------------------------------------------   
      
   THE WIND SPEED USED IN THE WIND CHILL FORMULA IS CALCULATED FOR THE    
   AVERAGE HEIGHT OF THE HUMAN FACE...OR ABOUT 5 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND.    
   IN CONTRAST...WIND IN MOST WEATHER OBSERVATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES    
   IS MEASURED ABOUT 33 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. THE FORMULA ALSO USES    
   UPDATED HEAT TRANSFER THEORY...WHICH FACTORS HEAT LOSS FROM THE BODY    
   TO ITS SURROUNDINGS DURING COLD AND WINDY CONDITIONS. IN ARRIVING AT    
   THE FORMULA...TESTING WAS ACTUALLY DONE ON PEOPLE IN A CHILLED WIND    
   TUNNEL. SENSORS ATTACHED TO THE PEOPLE MEASURED HEAT LOSS FROM THEIR    
   BODIES.   
      
   AT A WIND CHILL OF 18 DEGREES BELOW ZERO...FROSTBITE CAN DEVELOP ON   
   EXPOSED SKIN WITHIN 30 MINUTES.   
      
   AN IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER ABOUT WIND CHILL IS THAT IT WAS   
   DESIGNED TO APPLY TO LIVING BEINGS ONLY. FOR EXAMPLE...A METAL WATER   
   PIPE IN AIR THAT IS 35 DEGREES WILL ATTAIN A TEMPERATURE OF 35   
   DEGREES...AS WILL THE WATER INSIDE. THE WIND MAY BE BLOWING AT 20 MPH   
   PRODUCING A WIND CHILL OF ZERO DEGREES...BUT THE PIPE AND THE WATER   
   WILL REMAIN AT 35 DEGREES.   
      
   HYPOTHERMIA...   
   HYPOTHERMIA IS JUST A COMPLICATED WORD FOR LOWER-THAN-NORMAL BODY   
   TEMPERATURE. HYPOTHERMIA CAN BE BROUGHT ON IN MANY WAYS INCLUDING   
   EXPOSURE TO PERIODS OF BITTERLY COLD WEATHER OR IMMERSION IN COLD   
   LAKE OR RIVER WATER. REMEMBER THAT HYPOTHERMIA IS THE ACTUAL   
   LOWERING OF BODY TEMPERATURE. HYPOTHERMIA IS THE MOST DANGEROUS   
   AND LIFE-THREATENING RESULT OF EXPOSURE TO EXTREMELY COLD AIR.   
      
   SOME OF THE WARNING SIGNS ASSOCIATED WITH HYPOTHERMIA ARE   
   UNCONTROLLABLE SHIVERING...MEMORY LOSS...DISORIENTATION...   
   INCOHERENCE...SLURRED SPEECH...DROWSINESS AND APPARENT EXHAUSTION.   
   A GOOD WAY TO DETECT HYPOTHERMIA IS TO TAKE THE PERSONS TEMPERATURE.   
   IF IT IS BELOW 95 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT...SEEK MEDICAL CARE IMMEDIATELY.   
      
   IF MEDICAL CARE IS NOT AVAILABLE...BEGIN WARMING THE PERSON SLOWLY   
   BY WARMING THE BODY CORE FIRST WITH EITHER YOUR OWN BODY HEAT OR   
   WARM DRY CLOTHES AND BLANKETS. DO NOT WARM THE EXTREMITIES SUCH AS   
   ARMS AND LEGS FIRST AS THIS COULD PUSH THE COLD BLOOD TOWARD THE   
   HEART AND CAN LEAD TO HEART FAILURE.   
      
   ALL THESE COLD WEATHER THREATS CAN BE DIMINISHED BY WEARING THE   
   PROPER CLOTHING WHEN PLANNING TO BE OUT IN THE COLD WEATHER FOR   
   AN EXTENDED TIME.   
      
   WEAR SEVERAL LAYERS OF LOOSE-FITTING...LIGHT WEIGHT...WARM CLOTHING.   
   IF YOU BECOME TOO WARM...LAYERS CAN BE REMOVED TO AVOID HEAT   
   BUILD-UP AND PERSPIRATION. OUTER GARMENTS SHOULD BE TIGHTLY WOVEN...   
   WATER REPELLENT AND HOODED. TRY TO KEEP YOUR MOUTH COVERED TO PROTECT   
   YOUR LUNGS...AND KEEP YOUR HANDS IN MITTENS...NOT GLOVES...TO PROTECT   
   YOUR FINGERS. OVERALL...THE BEST RULE IS TO TRY TO STAY DRY.   
      
   FINALLY...BE SURE TO CHECK ON THE ELDERLY. HIGH HEATING COSTS COULD   
   CAUSE SOME OLDER PEOPLE TO SET THE THERMOSTAT TOO LOW...LEADING TO   
   HYPOTHERMIA. REMEMBER...ELDERLY PEOPLE OFTEN HAVE MORE DIFFICULTY   
   WITH THEIR SENSE OF WARM AND COLD.   
      
   &&   
      
   PLEASE VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT   WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/LZK   
      
   $$   
      
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