A wind chill warning is issued by Environment Canada or the National Weather Service of the United States when the wind chill is low enough that it becomes life-threatening.
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In the United States, the exact definition varies from state to state or between National Weather Service county warning areas, and a warning is used to express more severe conditions than a wind chill advisory. If going outside, people should make sure to take extra precaution against hypothermia and frostbite by wearing multiple layers as well as a hat and gloves.
In the event that extreme wind chills are expected to quickly lead to frostbite or death, enhanced wording with the words particularly dangerous situation may be added to the text; this is rarely issued. The National Weather Service in Twin Cities/Chanhassen was the first office to do this on Sunday, January 5, 2014.
As of April 8 2014, Environment Canada replaced the Wind Chill Warning with an Extreme Cold Warning. The warning is still issued based on a region's normal climate. In the older system a wind chill warning for Southern Ontario and Atlantic Canada was issued when the wind chill dropped to -35. This meant that if the temperature was −37 °C (−35 °F) with no wind a warning was not issued. Under the new system the extreme cold warning is issued based on either the temperature or the wind chill being a certain value for at least two hours. The values range from −30 °C (−22 °F) in the south to −55 °C (−67 °F) in parts of the Arctic.
Sample Wind Chill Warning
The following is an example of a Wind Chill Warning issued by the National Weather Service office in Detroit, Michigan.
063 WWUS43 KDTX 042112 WSWDTX URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI 412 PM EST SUN FEB 4 2007 ...DANGEROUS ARCTIC AIRMASS TO CAUSE BITTERLY COLD WIND CHILLS... .AN ARCTIC AIRMASS WILL REMAIN OVER SOUTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN INTO THE EARLY PART OF THE WEEK. TEMPERATURES OVERNIGHT WILL DROP TO BETWEEN -5 AND -15 DEGREES. WINDS GUSTING TO NEARLY 25 MPH THIS AFTERNOON WILL DECREASE OVERNIGHT...BUT WILL CONTINUE TO BLOW AT SPEEDS OF 10 TO 15 MPH. SOME LOCALLY HIGHER GUSTS WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE NEAR THE LAKE HURON SHORELINE. THE COMBINATION OF VERY COLD TEMPERATURES AND WINDS WILL PRODUCE WIND CHILL READINGS BETWEEN 20 AND 35 BELOW ZERO OVERNIGHT INTO EARLY MONDAY MORNING. MIZ047>049-053>055-050515- /O.UPG.KDTX.WC.Y.0001.000000T0000Z-070205T1700Z/ /O.NEW.KDTX.WC.W.0001.070204T2112Z-070205T1700Z/ MIDLAND-BAY-HURON-SAGINAW-TUSCOLA-SANILAC- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MIDLAND...BAY CITY...BAD AXE... SAGINAW...CARO...SANDUSKY 412 PM EST SUN FEB 4 2007 ...WIND CHILL WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 12 PM EST MONDAY... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DETROIT/PONTIAC HAS ISSUED A WIND CHILL WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 12 PM EST MONDAY. THE WIND CHILL ADVISORY IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT. TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE SAGINAW VALLEY AND NORTHERN THUMB WILL FALL TO AROUND 10 BELOW ZERO OVERNIGHT. THESE BITTERLY COLD TEMPERATURES WILL COMBINE WITH WINDS OF 10 TO 15 MPH TO CAUSE VERY LOW WIND CHILL READINGS NEAR 30 BELOW ZERO. SOME LOCALLY HIGHER WIND GUSTS UP TO 25 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE NEAR THE LAKE HURON SHORELINE. WIND CHILLS VALUES WILL REMAIN NEAR 30 BELOW ZERO INTO MONDAY MORNING BEFORE TEMPERATURES START TO CLIMB. A WIND CHILL WARNING MEANS THE COMBINATION OF VERY COLD AIR AND STRONG WINDS WILL CREATE DANGEROUSLY LOW WIND CHILL VALUES. THIS WILL RESULT IN FROST BITE AND LEAD TO HYPOTHERMIA IF PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN. PERSONS SHOULD AVOID GOING OUTDOORS AND WEAR WARM PROTECTIVE CLOTHING IF THEY MUST VENTURE OUTSIDE. $$Sample PDS Wind Chill Warning
The following is an example of a particularly dangerous situation Wind Chill Warning issued by the National Weather Service office in the Chanhassen, Minnesota.
WWUS43 KMPX 050957 WSWMPX URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN 357 AM CST SUN JAN 5 2014 ...HISTORIC AND LIFE-THREATENING COLD AIR HAS ARRIVED... ...THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION... .THE COLDEST AIRMASS SINCE 1996 CONTINUES TO MOVE SOUTHEAST OUT OF CANADA AND INTO MINNESOTA AND WISCONSIN. WIND CHILL VALUES WILL RANGE BETWEEN 30 AND 45 BELOW TODAY AND CONTINUE TO FALL THROUGH MONDAY MORNING. AIR TEMPERATURES TONIGHT WILL DROP INTO THE 20S AND 30S BELOW ZERO. GUSTY WEST OR NORTHWEST WINDS COMBINED WITH THESE EXTREMELY COLD TEMPERATURES WILL PRODUCE WIND CHILLS OF 50 TO 65 BELOW ZERO LATE TONIGHT AND EARLY MONDAY. WIND CHILLS COLDER THAN 50 BELOW CAN CAUSE EXPOSED FLESH TO FREEZE IN ONLY 5 MINUTES. A WIND CHILL WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN MINNESOTA AND WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN THROUGH NOON TUESDAY. THE GUSTY WINDS WILL ALSO BRING AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW TO MUCH OF THE AREA TODAY AND TONIGHT. WHERE GUSTS REACH 35 TO 45 MPH OVER WESTERN AND SOUTHERN MINNESOTA...VISIBILITIES MAY OCCASIONALLY BE REDUCED TO LESS THAN A HALF MILE IN NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS. THIS WILL BRING AN ADDITIONAL LEVEL OF DANGER TO ANYONE STRANDED. MNZ041-047-048-054>057-064-065-067-073>075-082>085-091>093-052115- /O.CON.KMPX.WC.W.0001.000000T0000Z-140107T1800Z/ DOUGLAS-STEVENS-POPE-LAC QUI PARLE-SWIFT-CHIPPEWA-KANDIYOHI- YELLOW MEDICINE-RENVILLE-SIBLEY-REDWOOD-BROWN-NICOLLET-WATONWAN- BLUE EARTH-WASECA-STEELE-MARTIN-FARIBAULT-FREEBORN- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ALEXANDRIA...MORRIS...GLENWOOD... MADISON...BENSON...MONTEVIDEO...WILLMAR...GRANITE FALLS... OLIVIA...GAYLORD...REDWOOD FALLS...NEW ULM...ST. PETER... ST. JAMES...MANKATO...WASECA...OWATONNA...FAIRMONT...BLUE EARTH... ALBERT LEA 357 AM CST SUN JAN 5 2014 ...WIND CHILL WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON CST TUESDAY... A WIND CHILL WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON CST TUESDAY. * THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION! * WIND CHILL VALUES: 35 TO 65 BELOW...WITH THE COLDEST READINGS TONIGHT AND MONDAY MORNING. * IMPACTS: EXPOSED FLESH WILL FREEZE IN 10 MINUTES WITH WIND CHILLS OF 35 BELOW...AND IN 5 MINUTES WITH WIND CHILLS OF 50 BELOW OR COLDER. * OTHER IMPACTS...WINDS GUSTING BETWEEN 35 AND 45 MPH THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT WILL LEAD TO BLOWING SNOW WITH VISIBILITIES OCCASIONALLY DROPPING TO 1/2 MILE OR LESS IN NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS. SHOULD YOUR VEHICLE BECOME STRANDED...YOUR LIFE WILL BE AT RISK. CONSIDER POSTPONING ALL TRAVEL. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A WIND CHILL WARNING MEANS THE COMBINATION OF VERY COLD AIR AND STRONG WINDS WILL CREATE DANGEROUSLY LOW WIND CHILL VALUES. THIS WILL RESULT IN FROST BITE AND LEAD TO HYPOTHERMIA OR DEATH IF PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN. && $$ MNZ042>045-049>053-058>063-066-068>070-076>078-WIZ014>016-023>028- 052115- /O.CON.KMPX.WC.W.0001.000000T0000Z-140107T1800Z/ TODD-MORRISON-MILLE LACS-KANABEC-STEARNS-BENTON-SHERBURNE-ISANTI- CHISAGO-MEEKER-WRIGHT-HENNEPIN-ANOKA-RAMSEY-WASHINGTON-MCLEOD- CARVER-SCOTT-DAKOTA-LE SUEUR-RICE-GOODHUE-POLK-BARRON-RUSK- ST. CROIX-PIERCE-DUNN-PEPIN-CHIPPEWA-EAU CLAIRE- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...LONG PRAIRIE...LITTLE FALLS... PRINCETON...MORA...ST. CLOUD...FOLEY...ELK RIVER...CAMBRIDGE... CENTER CITY...LITCHFIELD...MONTICELLO...MINNEAPOLIS...BLAINE... ST. PAUL...STILLWATER...HUTCHINSON...CHASKA...SHAKOPEE... BURNSVILLE...LE SUEUR...FARIBAULT...RED WING...AMERY... BALSAM LAKE...RICE LAKE...BARRON...LADYSMITH...HUDSON... NEW RICHMOND...RIVER FALLS...PRESCOTT...MENOMONIE...BOYCEVILLE... DURAND...PEPIN...CHIPPEWA FALLS...BLOOMER...EAU CLAIRE...ALTOONA 357 AM CST SUN JAN 5 2014 ...WIND CHILL WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON CST TUESDAY... A WIND CHILL WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON CST TUESDAY. * THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION! * WIND CHILL VALUES: 35 TO 65 BELOW...WITH THE COLDEST READINGS TONIGHT AND MONDAY MORNING. * IMPACTS: EXPOSED FLESH WILL FREEZE IN 10 MINUTES WITH WIND CHILLS OF 35 BELOW...AND IN 5 MINUTES WITH WIND CHILLS OF 50 BELOW OR COLDER. * OTHER IMPACTS...AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW ARE POSSIBLE AS WINDS GUST AS HIGH AS 35 MPH THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A WIND CHILL WARNING MEANS THE COMBINATION OF VERY COLD AIR AND STRONG WINDS WILL CREATE DANGEROUSLY LOW WIND CHILL VALUES. THIS WILL RESULT IN FROST BITE AND LEAD TO HYPOTHERMIA OR DEATH IF PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN. && $$ BORGHOFF