The American Continent is experiencing one of its coldest late January ever as a result of the polar vortex as a major contributing cause, bringing extreme low temperatures to some parts of US and most of Canada. Regions from North Dakota through to Missouri going as far east as New York are preparing to witness a temperature drop of about 50 degrees below average for late January (Washington Post). Many parts of Canada are under extreme cold alerts, crossing Saskatchewan through to Manitoba and Northern regions of Ontario into Quebec where temperatures went as low as -50 degrees as well with the wind chill on Wednesday. “For areas downwind around the Great Lakes, snow squalls will continue for the rest of the week with some areas picking up close to a meter of snow. Winds are whipping the snow around and causing near-zero visibility on roads to the northeast and south of Toronto.” Said Global News chief meteorologist, Anthony Farnell
A polar vortex is a mass of freezing air that typically spins over the North Pole. The mass of air has moved south, bringing super cold temperatures to a large part of North America “The polar vortex exists all year long, but mostly resides over the North Pole,” said Farnell. “When the clockwise wind flow in this large swirl of cold weakens, the circulation can be disrupted and split. When this occurs a section can travel south and bring record cold and wind to large areas that typically don’t deal with those temperatures.”
As for the US, CNN reported that about 220 million people, literally 75% of the United States population were expected to face below-freezing temperatures this week. The Washington Post added Chicago could hit a minus 29 (minus 34 Celsius). This would beat the city’s coldest temperature of minus 27 recorded ever on January 20, 1985 (National Weather Service) while similar polar vortex-induced chills can be traced back in 2014 and 2015 as for Canada (Global News). However, there is strong evidence to suggest that these extreme weather events will be more frequent due to climate change CNN meteorologist Tom Sater went as far as observing that some youngsters in the US, especially those aged 25 or lower will have never felt such cold before.
As a result of all this, many forecasters in Canada and US have warned against the cold with the wind so intense that it could give people frostbite and/or hypothermia. Because we care for the valued reader you are, we found it necessary to give you highlights on symptoms of both of those threats and give you preventive or first aid measures you can take against them
Hypothermia
This is a drop in body temperature caused by prolonged exposure to very cold temperatures. Normal body temperatures are 98.6 degrees on average. With Hypothermia, core temperature can drop below 95 degrees and in very severe cases, that temperature could drop to 82 degrees or lower. Having looked at the relationship between hypothermia and cold exposure, we found out that most heat (up to 90%) escapes through the skin by radiation during cold temperatures. This is why it is very important to stay warm in extreme conditions (Click here to check our collection of winter clothes). The rate speeds up in case of added wind, moisture, potentially occurring 25 times faster with cold water immersion. These conditions affect the functioning of the temperature control center found in the brain, The Hypothalamus, which normally works to raise body temperature by triggering processes that heat and cool the body. As the body temperature drops, the heart and liver which are responsible for producing most of our body heat decrease their production rates. This causes a protective “shut down” to preserve heat and protect the brain. This will subsequently lead to slow brain activity, breathing, and heart rate. Confusion and fatigue can set in, affecting someone’s ability to understand what’s happening and make intelligent choices to be safe. Other conditions could also increase the probability of hypothermia occurring. Medical conditions such as Diabetes and thyroid conditions, medications, using drug or alcohol can all increase the risk of hypothermia
Summarily symptoms of hypothermia are:
- Slurred or Mumbled speech
- Slow, shallow breathing
- Slow, weak pulse
- Shivering, which may stop as hypothermia progresses
- Confusion and memory loss
- Loss of coordination, fumbling hands, stumbling steps
- Drowsiness or exhaustion
- Unconsciousness with obvious signs of breathing (Severe cases)
The following symptoms could be added for kids:
- Unusually low energy
- Cold-to-touch, bright red skin
First aid measures
You can take the following actions in case you come across someone suffering from hypothermia and medical care isn’t immediately available
- Call 911 to report case so it can speed up medical assistance
- Remove any wet clothes, hats, gloves, shoes, and socks.
- Protect the person against wind, drafts and further heat loss with warm, dry clothes and blankets. We have an incredible collection of winter clothes. You can check it here.
- Move gently to a warm, dry, shelter as soon as possible
- Begin rewarming the person with extra clothing. Warm the trunk first, not extremities as warming them first could cause shock. Use warm blankets and other items like an electric blanket. However, caution must be exercised as these may cause burns. You may use your own body heat if nothing else is available
- Offer warm liquids avoiding alcohol and caffeine which have been proven to speed up heat loss. DO NOT give fluids to an unconscious person
Frostbite
This is an injury that can occur following exposure of the skin to extreme cold. This condition can cause the skin top layer and some tissues underneath to freeze. It is most common in body extremities such as fingers, ears, fingers, and nose. Though under controlled conditions, the skin can recover from frostbite in many cases, tissue death or loss can occur in severe cases. Frostbite occurs in stages depending on your level and time of exposure as well as few conditions like wind surrounding the affected area.
When under very cold conditions, our blood vessels constrict and become narrower to divert blood flow away from extremities such as our fingers and toes in order to help maintain our core body temperature. Over time, the lack of blood flow to these areas can cause damage to skin and nearby tissues.
Stage 1: Frostnip
This first stage is a mild one and doesn’t cause much damage to the skin. Symptoms here include skin turning red, feeling cold to the touch. If exposure to cold persists, it may begin to feel numb or have a prickling sensation.
This first stage can be healed by simple first aid measures that include preventing further exposure to cold and rewarming. (you can click here to discover our warm clothes collection). Rewarming can be achieved here by simply soaking the affected area in warm water for 15 to 30 minutes. Avoid using sources such as stoves or heating pads as these could lead to burns. In case you feel any pain as your skin begins to warm up, you can take any over-the-counter pain medication to ease any discomfort
Stage 2: Superficial frostbite
In this stage your skins become pale or reddish, appearing even blue sometimes.
- Formation of ice crystals may begin to occur in your skin. The hard or frozen feeling of the skin to touch will be a good indication of this symptom
- Swelling of the skin may be observed as it begins to feel warm. An indication of skin tissue damage occurring.
At this stage, initial rewarming of the affected area should occur and the patient should seek immediate medical assistance. DO NOT attempt to drain the blisters by yourself if you identify them.
Stage 3: Deep Frostbite
This is the most severe stage and it affects both the skin and underlying tissues. The following symptoms can be identified at this stage
- A blue or splotchy look of the skin which may feel numb to sensations such as cold or pain.
- Very high probability of blisters forming
- Blood clots may develop in very severe cases
That said, it becomes important to observe some general preventive rules in such cold conditions:
- Always check your weather forecast and pay attention to extreme cold alerts, avoiding long periods of time in the cold as well as touching metal surfaces or water out in the cold.
- Wear clothes that are appropriate for cold conditions. Carefully select gloves to protect your hands, hats that cover your ears, sunglasses. You can check our collection of winter clothes here. Make sure your outer garments are waterproof and windproof.
- Stay as far away as possible from wet clothes and change them as soon as you can, should you have your them wet for whatever reason.
- Drink much water and eat nutritious meals, keeping away from Alcoholic beverages as this makes you lose body heat more quickly.
- Pay keen attention to any sign of frostbite so you can take appropriate immediate action either by seeking warmth, medical assistance or both.