DENVER, COLORADO – In preparation for the coming winter season, NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS) has announced changes to its cold weather alert system, aiming to streamline and clarify messaging around dangerous cold weather conditions. This update is part of the agency’s ongoing Hazard Simplification initiative, a multi-year effort to make weather alerts more understandable for the public and decision-makers alike.
Starting on October 1, a new set of terms will be used to describe extreme cold conditions, which can cause frostbite and hypothermia in just minutes. These changes include renaming key cold-weather alerts and consolidating similar warnings, all of which are meant to help people better recognize and respond to life-threatening winter conditions, with or without wind.
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Key Changes to Cold Weather Alerts:
Extreme Cold Watch: Replacing the previous Wind Chill Watch, this alert will now indicate the possibility of dangerously cold air with or without wind. It urges the public to prepare for the possibility of dangerous conditions.
Extreme Cold Warning: This term replaces Wind Chill Warning and signals expected dangerous cold that could lead to frostbite or hypothermia. Immediate action is recommended, such as staying indoors, limiting time outside, and dressing in layers.
Cold Weather Advisory: Replacing the Wind Chill Advisory, this new alert highlights conditions that, while still very cold, are less severe than those triggering a warning but still require caution.
Freeze Watch and Freeze Warning: Consolidating and simplifying the terminology used to describe conditions that could damage crops and infrastructure, “Hard Freeze” alerts will be removed, and these terms will be used more consistently.
Free: Complete Colorado 14ers Planner
Every peak. Every trailhead. Every detail: in one spreadsheet.
- All 58 peaks ranked beginner to expert
- Safety notes and seasonal windows for each
- Route difficulty, mileage, and prep tips
This simplification seeks to address misconceptions, such as the belief that cold weather is only dangerous when accompanied by wind. The NWS emphasizes that severe cold, even without strong winds, poses a significant risk to health. Extreme cold conditions often occur following wintry precipitation, which can overshadow the cold hazard itself, leading to inadequate preparation by the public.
As weather-related fatalities from cold exposure remain a serious concern, these efforts are part of broader outreach to improve public safety through clearer and more actionable messaging. The Hazard Simplification initiative integrates feedback from social scientists and community stakeholders to create an alert system that can save lives during severe winter events.
For more information, visit the National Weather Service at weather.gov.
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