It’s about to get a lot colder across the U.S., with forecasters projecting a 40-degree temperature drop for the East Coast this weekend.
asserted
forecasters → get → Coast
Freeze warnings were issued across the central U.S. Friday, as a cold front shifts southward from Canada.
asserted
front → issue → Canada
Cold is one of the nation’s top weather-related killers, leading to more than 1,000 deaths each year, per federal data.
asserted
Cold → relate → data
Though the strengthening El Nino climate pattern is expected to bring above-average temperatures throughout the U.S. this winter, that doesn’t mean there won’t also be life-threatening lows.
asserted
that → strengthen → U.S.
Experts say people can protect themselves this year by staying indoors, being prepared and making informed decisions.
asserted
people → say → decisions
“Take weather warnings seriously,” Stephen Cheung, a professor of kinesiology at Canada’s Brock University, told The New York Times earlier this year.
asserted
Cheung → take → Times
“You can still do most things safely - just plan ahead, be prepared, know the risks.”
asserted
You → do → risks
Being in the cold can lead to hypothermia and frostbite, as well as raise blood pressure in just 20 minutes.
Blood pressure is typically higher in the winter because low temperatures cause blood vessels to narrow, the Mayo Clinic says, with more pressure needed to force blood through veins and arteries.
asserted
pressure → lead → veins
This raises the risk of cardiovascular events, such as heart attack and stroke.
asserted
This → raise → attack
The cold also increases the risk of hypothermia, a condition that occurs when core body temperature drops below 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius), affecting a person’s ability to think or move.
asserted
temperature → increase → ability
And frostbite is an injury that occurs when body tissue freezes in low temperatures, leading to tissue death known as gangrene - and even amputations.
asserted
tissue → occur → gangrene
How do you stay safe?
asserted
you → stay → ?
“To prevent hypothermia, follow Grandma’s advice,” instructs Dr. Jennah Morgan, an emergency medicine physician at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
asserted
Morgan → prevent → Center
And avoid going outside with wet hair or clothes, she says.
asserted
she → avoid → hair
It can make you feel a lot colder.
asserted
you → make → ?
It’s a sign that the body is losing heat and could be at risk, the New York Department of Health explains.
uncertain
Department → ’ → Health
Much of the same advice works to stave off frostbite - but knowing the physical signs of the condition can help avoid a trip to the emergency room.
asserted
knowing → work → room
In the first stages of frostbite, the skin is often red and painful before turning a grayish-yellow.
asserted
skin → turn → yellow
Then, the area may start to feel waxy or numb.
uncertain
area → start → ?
In the worst cases, the skin blisters and turns black as tissue dies.
asserted
tissue → blister → cases
This is known as gangrene.
asserted
This → know → gangrene
“In most cases, the person is unaware of frostbite because the frozen tissues are numb,” Johns Hopkins Medicine says.
asserted
Medicine → say → frostbite
“The symptoms of frostbite may look like other health conditions or problems.”
uncertain
symptoms → look → conditions
People who drink alcohol or smoke are more sensitive to the cold because the substances make blood vessels narrow.
asserted
vessels → drink → cold
People with hypothermia or frostbite should seek out medical attention immediately.
asserted
People → seek → attention
But if you can’t access medical attention right away, there are several quick ways to warm up a bit.
asserted
you → access → attention
Using heater packs and heated blankets and drinking hot, non-alcoholic beverages can help raise body temperature, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
uncertain
Using → use → Control
So does skin-to-skin contact under loose, dry layers of blankets, clothing, towels or sheets.
asserted
contact → do → blankets
“After body temperature has increased, keep the person dry and wrap their body, including their head and neck, in a warm blanket,” the CDC says.
asserted
CDC → increase → blanket
The Aporia
.jpg?trim=1,0,1,0&width=1200&height=800&crop=1200:800)
