Winter weather preparedness week: Changes coming to some winter alerts this season
ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Changes are coming to some of the winter alerts issued by the National Weather Service this winter season. Notably, wind chill watches and warnings will go by a different name.
The main message NWS is trying to convey is that "cold is cold, whether or not its windy." Because of this, they are going to condense some of their cold related products.
"Wind Chill" watches and warnings will now be called "Extreme Cold" watches and warnings. Meanwhile, a Wind Chill advisory will be referred to as a "Cold Weather" advisory. It's all a part of their hazard simplification project across the country.
Eric Lenning, Meteorologist in Charge at NWS Chicago notes the main reason for the change: "Those sound very similar. Wind chill advisories, wind chill warnings. People weren't necessarily sure which was worse. When you talk about cold weather versus extreme cold, I think the inference there is that extreme cold is a bigger deal. So, that would be one aspect of the clarification."
The local forecast area isn't the only one making the change either. Some NWS offices were already using the new terminology prior to the adoption nationally. Eric notes the reason for that is to promote consistency among all forecast areas in the country.
While the wording may be different, the criteria is still the same. For Rockford, apparent — or feels like — temperatures of negative 30 or cooler will trigger an extreme cold alert, whether that be a watch or warning. A cold weather advisory will be issued when it feels like negative-20 to negative-30. Wind chill is one measure of apparent temperature, but now doesn't have to be the only factor to trigger a cold-related product.
"When it gets extremely cold, it may not always be windy, might just be cold. And so, it's not really the wind chill that's driving the cold temperatures." Eric adds: "It's actually just the bitterly cold air itself. On a cool, very cold, calm night when the wind's not blowing, it still might be 20 or 30 below zero and that could be still dangerous, even without the wind."
Locally, conditions that would warrant an extreme cold warning may only occur one to three times per year, but Eric says they are still worth preparing for. He adds some tips to prepare for extreme cold that include having extra layers and not staying outdoors for prolonged periods of time.
The changes to the winter alerts officially went into effect October 1st. So, the next time we see that level of cold, the new alerts will be used. Keeping up to date on what the different alerts mean can be one of the best ways to stay prepared this winter season.
