Some of the coldest air we have felt across Northeast Ohio in years is expected early next week.
Temperatures will plummet from the mid-30s early on Saturday to the single digits for highs and sub-zero temperatures for lows by Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Coupled with breezy winds, wind chill values look to fall well below zero. As of Thursday afternoon, it looks like wind chills could be as low as -10 to -25 degrees Sunday night through Wednesday morning.
With the impending cold, I wanted to make you aware of some changes to the cold weather alerts that may be issued in a couple of days. Back in October, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Weather Service (NWS) Hazard Simplification Initiative made changes to cold weather alerts. All wind chill and freeze alerts were consolidated and changed nationwide. Below is a list of the changes and criteria for the National Weather Service in Cleveland to issue them.
- Extreme Cold Watch and Wind Chill Watch were consolidated into Extreme Cold Watch
- An extreme cold watch will be issued if the wind chill is -25º or colder within the next 18 to 48 hours. This is the time to prepare! - Extreme Cold Warning and Wind Chill Warning will be consolidated into Extreme Cold Warning.
- An extreme cold warning will be issued when there is a wind chill of -25º or colder. This is the time to take action. - Wind Chill Advisory was replaced with a Cold Weather Advisory.
- A cold weather advisory will be issued when the wind chill is -15º to -24º. - Hard Freeze Watch and Freeze Watch were consolidated into a Freeze Watch.
-A freeze watch will be issued when there is a potential for the first freeze of the fall season or for a late spring freeze within the next 18 to 24 hours. The product is discontinued for the season following the first fall "killing" freeze. - Hard Freeze Warning and Freeze Warning were consolidated into a Freeze Warning.
- A freeze warning will be issued when temperatures are at or below 32ºF over a large area for a significant time during the growing season.
What's the reason for the change?
Previously, Extreme Cold and Wind Chill products were only based on the wind chill and required a certain wind threshold. These updated cold weather alerts will now be issued based on the temperature OR the wind chill, and there will be no wind threshold.
These changes seek to clarify that cold can be dangerous with or without wind, addressing a common misconception that extreme cold is only tied to colder temperatures when there is wind. In other words... wind or no wind, cold is cold!
The Power of 5 Weather Team will be sure to let you know if and when any of these updated alerts are issued in the coming days. Be sure to tune into News 5 Cleveland for the latest forecast every day!
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