Be Prepared for Major Winter Storm, Extreme Cold
Dress Warmly and Stay Dry Dress in layers. Wear a hat. Be sure the outer layer of your clothing is tightly woven, preferably wind resistant, to reduce body-heat loss caused by wind. Wool, silk, or polypropylene inner layers of clothing will hold more body heat than cotton. Stay dry —wet clothing chills the body rapidly. Excess perspiration will increase heat loss, so remove extra layers of clothing whenever you feel too warm. Avoid getting gasoline or alcohol on your skin while de-icing and fueling your car or using a snow blower. These materials in contact with the skin greatly increase heat loss from the body. Do not ignore shivering. It’s an important first sign that the body is losing heat. Persistent shivering is a signal to return indoors. Infants less than one year old should never sleep in a cold room because infants lose body heat more easily than adults. Hypothermia When exposed to cold tempera...