DENVER — An Arctic cold front is moving into Denver, bringing bitterly cold temperatures and snow to the state.
Wind Chill Warnings have been posted through Tuesday morning by the National Weather Service for counties across Colorado, including the Palmer Divide, Denver area, and eastern plains.
Periods of dangerous wind chill readings are expected mainly during the overnight periods tonight through Tuesday morning. The wind and low temps will lead to wind chills of 20 below to 35 below zero, with the most severe conditions east of Interstate 25.
The coldest readings, approaching 35 below zero, are expected late Monday night into Tuesday morning across portions of the Plains.
The cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes. The National Weather Service recommends avoiding outside activities if possible during this period.
"When outside, make sure you wear several layers of appropriate clothing, a hat, and gloves. Take precautions now to provide shelter for outdoor animals," said the National Weather Service.
Colorado's mountains should plan for feet of snow through the holiday weekend. The Denver area will see light snow throughout the weekend.
By Tuesday, a high pressure ridge begins to build into the area bringing partly sunny skies and warmer temperatures.
Denver forecast
FRIDAY: Mostly sunny but windy. Winds gusting to 40 mph with a high of 34. Much colder with several inches of snow tonight, low -5.
SATURDAY: Mostly cloudy with a chance for snow or snow showers and very cold, high 7; mostly cloudy with snow showers overnight, low -9.
SUNDAY: Mostly cloudy with a chance for snow, high 9; mostly cloudy with a chance for snow overnight, low -7.
MONDAY: Snow likely and continued very cold, high 7; partly cloudy with a chance for snow showers, low -12.
TUESDAY: Partly cloudy and warmer, high 38; partly cloudy overnight, low 19.
WEDNESDAY: Partly cloudy and milder, high near 50; mostly cloudy and maybe a snow shower overnight, low 23.
Signs of frostbite
- Shivering is the first sign the body is losing heat
- Numbness
- Pale color to the skin
- Clumsy movements
- Pain that persists for 45 minutes after rewarming
- Following rewarming, increased redness or discoloration
Preventing frostbite
If you do have to go outside, there are things you can do to protect yourself. Below are some tips from the UCHealth Burn and Frostbite Center.
- Dress in layers and keep outerwear dry.
- Choose loosely woven fabric for the inside layer (wool, silk, polypropylene). These fabrics hold more heat and help avoid excessive perspiration.
- When outside in cold temperatures, take frequent breaks indoors and assess hands, feet, ears and nose.
- Cover your head – wear a hat and earmuffs.
- Wear heavy mittens instead of gloves. The collective body heat from the fingers being together keeps the hand warm.
- Two pairs of thinner socks provide better insulation than a single pair of thicker socks.
- Be prepared when traveling in cold weather. Keep a winter survival kit in the car that includes blankets, matches and extra clothes.
Wind-Chill Factor
Skin exposed to cold air without any wind chill will cause you to lose your body heat in a certain amount of time. That amount of time will be different for everyone depending on things like body type, weight and age. When you add in wind, that accelerates the cooling of a surface.
The wind-chill factor tells you how much faster you will lose your body heat due to the additional cooling from the wind. That part of the equation is the same for everyone, no matter what your body type is.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has a chart that makes it easy to calculate the impacts of the wind-chill factor.
For example, if the air temperature is -5, but there is also a 10 mph wind, your body loses heat at the same rate that it would if the temperature was -22 degrees.
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