Weather Words: Hypothermia

With winter weather’s firm grip on my of the U.S., hypothermia is something we all want to avoid. Hypothermia is a medical condition that results from our bodies losing heat faster than we can produce it. If your body temperature drops below 95° hypothermia will result.

There’s no magic temperature where hypothermia will settle in, because other factors will be at play, such as how warm you are dressed and if you are wet hypothermia can occur even faster.

Surprisingly, hypothermia is possible with temperatures above 40°.

Knowing the symptoms of hypothermia could save your life.

Symptoms of hypothermia:

• Drowsiness

• Weakness/confusion/loss of coordination

• Pale and cold skin

• Shivering (however if body temperatures drop extremely low, shivering may stop).

• Slowed breathing or heart rate

MORE: Another Wintertime Danger – Frostbite

Many times if someone is experiencing these symptoms, they aren’t thinking clearly enough to know they are developing hypothermia, which makes hypothermia even more dangerous.

The best thing to do to avoid hypothermia is to be prepared for the conditions you are facing. Make sure you are dressed warmly and limit your time outdoors in the extreme cold. Avoid alcohol if you are going to be exposed to cold conditions and be mindful that hypothermia can impact the elderly, children and people with poor circulation quicker than others.

Jennifer Gray is a weather and climate writer for weather.com. She has been covering some of the world’s biggest weather and climate stories for the last two decades.