National Weather Service updates cold weather terminology

When temperatures drop to dangerous levels this winter, you’ll hear some different terms being used to describe the danger.

The National Weather Service said it is looking to simplify weather messaging and the changes for this winter took effect October 1st.

Here are the changes you will hear:

• Wind Chill Watches will be renamed to an Extreme Cold Watch
• Wind Chill Warnings will be renamed to an Extreme Cold Warning
• Wind Chill Advisory will be renamed a Cold Weather Advisory
• Hard Freeze Watches will be renamed to a Freeze Watch
• Hard Freeze Warnings will be consolidated to a Freeze Warning

According to the National Weather Service, the changes were made to clarify that cold can be dangerous with or without wind. Forecasters said there’s a common misconception that extreme cold is only tied to colder temperatures when there is wind. But really, NWS said dangerously cold weather can come with or after wintry precipitation and sometimes warnings about cold can be overshadowed by wintry precipitation.

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