Wind chill watch

{{Short description|Former U.S. weather alert}}

A wind chill watch was a weather watch formerly issued by the National Weather Service of the United States when the wind chill could reach dangerous levels within the next 12 to 48 hours; as of October 2024 it has been re-named "extreme cold watch." The exact definition required to issue a watch varies from state to state or from National Weather Service county warning areas to another, but if forecasters believe conditions are favorable for life-threatening wind chills meeting local criteria, a watch will be issued. People going outside should plan to protect themselves against hypothermia and frostbite.{{cite web|title=Winter Weather Watches, Warnings and Advisories|url=http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/ggw/winter/monday.php?wfo=ggw|work=Montana Winter Weather Awareness Week|access-date=18 May 2011|author=Glasgow, MT National Weather Service Forecast Office}} In October 2024, the "wind chill watch" and "wind chill warning" were, among other changes, re-named in-favor of a "simplified" naming scheme.

Example

The following is an example of a wind chill watch issued by the National Weather Service office in Detroit, Michigan.{{cite web|title=Wind Chill Watch|url=http://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/vtec/2009-O-NEW-KDTX-WC-A-0001.html#2009-O-NEW-KDTX-WC-A-0001|work=Iowa Environmental Mesonet NWS Product Archive|access-date=18 May 2011|author=National Weather Service}}

017

WWUS43 KDTX 141646

WSWDTX

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI

1146 AM EST WED JAN 14 2009

...LONG DURATION ARCTIC VISIT...

.AN ARCTIC AIRMASS WILL BECOME FIRMLY ESTABLISHED OVER THE GREAT

LAKES REGION TONIGHT AND WILL PERSIST THROUGH FRIDAY INTO EARLY

SATURDAY. THE COMBINATION OF BITTERLY COLD AIR...WITH TEMPERATURES

WELL BELOW ZERO AT TIMES...AND A PERSISTENT WIND WILL CREATE

DANGEROUSLY LOW WIND CHILL VALUES. WIND CHILL READINGS WILL DIP TO

AROUND -20 TONIGHT AND THURSDAY. THE HEART OF THE ARCTIC AIRMASS

WILL SETTLE ACROSS THE REGION BEGINNING LATE THURSDAY AND

CONTINUING INTO EARLY SATURDAY. THE ADDITION OF A PERSISTENT WIND

DURING THAT TIME WILL PROPEL WIND CHILL VALUES BELOW -25 DEGREES.

MIZ047>049-053>055-060>063-068>070-075-076-082-083-150100-

/O.NEW.KDTX.WC.Y.0001.090115T0300Z-090116T0000Z/

/O.NEW.KDTX.WC.A.0001.090116T0000Z-090117T1500Z/

MIDLAND-BAY-HURON-SAGINAW-TUSCOLA-SANILAC-SHIAWASSEE-GENESEE-

LAPEER-ST. CLAIR-LIVINGSTON-OAKLAND-MACOMB-WASHTENAW-WAYNE-

LENAWEE-MONROE-

INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MIDLAND...BAY CITY...BAD AXE...

SAGINAW...CARO...SANDUSKY...OWOSSO...FLINT...LAPEER...

PORT HURON...HOWELL...PONTIAC...WARREN...ANN ARBOR...DETROIT...

ADRIAN...MONROE

1146 AM EST WED JAN 14 2009

...WIND CHILL ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 7 PM

EST THURSDAY...

...WIND CHILL WATCH IN EFFECT FROM THURSDAY EVENING THROUGH

SATURDAY MORNING...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DETROIT/PONTIAC HAS ISSUED A WIND

CHILL ADVISORY...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO

7 PM EST THURSDAY. A WIND CHILL WATCH HAS ALSO BEEN ISSUED. THIS

WIND CHILL WATCH IS IN EFFECT FROM THURSDAY EVENING THROUGH

SATURDAY MORNING.

THE COMBINATION OF BITTERLY COLD AIR AND A PERSISTENT WIND WILL

CREATE DANGEROUSLY LOW WIND CHILL VALUES. WIND CHILL READINGS WILL

DIP TO AROUND -20 TONIGHT AND THURSDAY. THE HEART OF THE ARCTIC

AIRMASS WILL SETTLE ACROSS THE REGION BEGINNING LATE THURSDAY AND

CONTINUING INTO EARLY SATURDAY. THE ADDITION OF A PERSISTENT WIND

DURING THAT TIME WILL PROPEL WIND CHILL VALUES BELOW -25 DEGREES.

A WIND CHILL ADVISORY MEANS THAT VERY COLD AIR AND STRONG WINDS

WILL COMBINE TO GENERATE LOW WIND CHILLS. THIS WILL RESULT IN

FROST BITE AND LEAD TO HYPOTHERMIA IF PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN.

IF YOU MUST VENTURE OUTDOORS...MAKE SURE YOU WEAR A HAT AND

GLOVES.

A WIND CHILL WATCH MEANS THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR A COMBINATION

OF VERY COLD AIR AND STRONG WINDS TO CREATE DANGEROUSLY LOW WIND

CHILL VALUES. MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS AND WARNINGS FOR

UPDATES ON THIS SITUATION.

$$

MANN

October 2024 Update

In October 2024, the NWS implemented changes to its wind chill and hard freeze warnings, watches, and advisories (WWAs) as part of its "Hazard Simplification initiative." The goal of these WWA name changes, per the NWS, is "simplifying a suite of cold weather forecast products to improve messaging of winter hazards and provide better decision support." The changes include:{{cite web |title=National Weather Service Revises Watch, Warning and Advisory Products |author=Michael Musher, National Weather Service Public Affairs |work=News Around NOAA |url=https://www.weather.gov/news/243009-cold-hazard-simplification |access-date=2024-10-10 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241007004616/https://www.weather.gov/news/243009-cold-hazard-simplification |archive-date=2024-10-07 }}{{cite web |title=Beyond the Barometer: Changes coming to wind chill alerts |author=Blaise Keller |work=Wisconsin State Journal |url=https://madison.com/news/local/weather/wind-chill-national-weather-service/article_8cfd32b8-859b-11ef-b83b-932c0696d51a.html |access-date=2024-10-10 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241010/https://madison.com/news/local/weather/wind-chill-national-weather-service/article_8cfd32b8-859b-11ef-b83b-932c0696d51a.html |archive-date=2024-10-08 }}

Extreme Cold Consolidation and Renaming

Freeze Consolidation


Local NWS offices will still determine the standards governing the issuance of such WWAs.

See also

References

{{Reflist}}