Make sure all children, including teenagers, have appropriate outerwear every day. Warm jackets, hats, scarves, boots, and an extra pair of gloves in their pockets will protect them during extremely cold temperatures. Keep a spare set of dry socks in their backpack, just in case.

Develop an emergency plan and review it with your children in case you are not home either before or after school. If a bus is delayed, they need to know where, when, and how to get help. Tell your child that if you are not home while they are waiting outside for the bus, how long they may wait outside, where to go in the event the bus is delayed, and what the dangers and risks of extreme weather are.

TOP COLD WEATHER TEACHING TIPS

It's recommended that children, including teenagers, learn how to stay safe in cold weather. This includes:

Removing wet clothing, boots or gloves, or asking for help with clothing that is hard to remove
Removing snow or ice next to bare skin
Reporting pain, numbness and/or burning anywhere on their skin (especially hands, feet, ears, or nose).
Where to find safe shelter in an emergency.
Who the designated adult is to go to in your neighborhood if the bus does not show on time.
How to protect themselves with proper winter clothing.

Understanding Wind Chill

Essentially, the wind chill temperature is how cold people or animals feel while outside. This figure is based on the amount of heat lost from exposed skin caused by both wind and temperature. As the wind increases, it draws heat from the body, decreasing skin temperature. For instance, if the temperature outside is 0°F, and the wind is blowing at 15mph, the wind chill is -19°F. At this temperature, potential damage to exposed skin, also known as "frost nip" or "frostbite", can occur within 30 minutes.

Frostbite is most commonly seen on the cheeks, ears, fingers and toes. Because the first symptom is often numbness, you may not realize you have frostbite until the skin changes color. Skin may turn pink or red, and progress to white, gray, or blue with prolonged exposure.

Eventually, this can also reduce the internal body temperature, a condition known as "hypothermia". Symptoms of hypothermia include intense shivering, slurred speech, drowsiness, and trouble walking. Because this is a life-threatening emergency, it is recommended to call 911 and apply warm, dry clothing while you wait for help to arrive.

Please review the wind chill chart below for more information, supplied courtesy of the National Weather Service.