Hypothermia and Frostbite

BE READY, BE SAFE, BE PREPARED!

Hello everyone! Thanks for clicking onto my new blog site. Hopefully this blog will provide you with useful information on a variety of topics ranging from weather and climate to the local culture and current events of southern Minnesota and northern Iowa. I will start today's first post in relation to Winter Weather Awareness Week in the state of Minnesota (November 10th-14th). This week is dedicated to prepare you and your family for the challenges that winter offers, so that you will stay safe and be adequately prepared for when winter weather hit.

On average, 700 people lose their lives to hypothermia each year. Living in Minnesota, we are surrounded by beautiful lakes, parks, and recreational areas. This draws many of us outdoors at all times of year, including the colder winter months. During these winter months it is prudent to keep abreast of the current weather conditions and know the latest forecast (which can always be found at: KAAL-TV Weather). The Armistice Day storm of 1940 is a perfect example of people not being prepared for rapidly changing weather conditions.

The picture above shows cars buried under drifts of snow just west of Minneapolis along Excelsior Boulevard. Some of the drifts exceeded 20 feet!! You might not believe it, but the morning started off mild and cloudy with temperatures in the 50s. A powerful cold front blasted through Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin during the late morning accompanied by wind driven rain, which eventually turned into a raging sleet and snowstorm. Winds gusted between 50-80mph! as the storm system deepened off to the north and east. By the time all was said and done, some areas received over 16" of snow and 49 people from Minnesota lost their lives. Many duck hunters took the day off from work that morning, thinking that the mild weather would hold up. Those duck hunters accounted for half of the death toll in Minnesota.

Fortunately, much better technology exists today, so that we can receive and transmit messages easier. Television, computers, cell phones, and PDA devices allow for instant alerts to be issued to the public, so that meteorologists can convey severe weather watches and warnings and help save lives.

Hypothermia and Frostbite are preventable, given that you and your family are prepared!

The picture to the left shows what we all should be doing during a severe cold snap. Here are a few tips to prevent hypothermia and frostbite from affecting you:

1.) Try to cover all exposed areas of your skin, especially your extremities such as fingers, toes, nose, and ears.

2.)Layering clothing can also better defend yourself against the cold instead of just wearing one bulky layer.

3.) Mittens protect fingers better than gloves!

4.) Wear a winter hat! Most of your body heat is lost through your head

5.) Don't overdo it. Sweating outside causes your body to get wet. This can accelerate body cooling processes and drop your body temperature below healthy levels (98.6 degrees). Also, wear a water repellent outter layer that will repel any water from accruing on your clothing.

The Mayo Clinc has a great website dedicated to hypothermia and it's effects. I wanted to pass along to you the tips for prevention, because frostbite and hypothermia are preventable. The website has more information on symptoms, risk factors, complications, and treatments for hypothermia.

Thanks for taking the time to read today's blog. Stay warm and more importantly, SAFE! My next post will take a look at some of the winter climatology (including winter storms, blizzards, and cold) across the area.

-Steve