The National Weather Service (NWS) is re-working several alerts that will change the messages you receive in harsh winter weather. Effective immediately, the HARD FREEZE WARNING product is being eliminated and the WIND CHILL ADVISORY will be renamed COLD ADVISORY.

Regardless of official alerts and messages, cold temperatures can be life-threatening without proper actions. Any time the Storm Station is forecasting temperatures below 40 degrees, you should make sure that any family, friends and neighbors have access to a warm shelter. Consider providing warmth for pets and animals as well using the general rule that if you are cold, they are cold. Here are some other cold temperature thresholds that require action:

• 37 – 33 degrees: cover or move sensitive vegetation such as tropical plants to prevent frost damage
• 32 – 25 degrees: cover or move any non-cold hardy plants, crops may be killed or damaged by a freeze
• Under 25 degrees: in addition to caring for vegetation, consider wrapping outdoor, exposed pipes and running faucets on a very slow drip

To add awareness for necessary safety measures, NWS will issue alerts when certain conditions are expected. New this season, some changes have been made to the traditional cold weather alerts that were used in previous years.

REMOVAL OF HARD FREEZE WARNING

The most significant of the two changes for the Capital Area is the elimination of the HARD FREEZE WARNING. Local infrastructure, especially the plumbing of older and raised buildings, can be compromised in temperatures below 25 degrees. With complete elimination of the HARD FREEZE WARNING, be sure to stick with the Storm Station for specifics on just how low temperatures will go in each cold snap.

REMOVAL OF WIND CHILL ADVISORY

The WIND CHILL ADVISORY placed more emphasis on what was causing the cold. In reality, a very low feels-like temperature is dangerous to people and property regardless of whether it is just downright cold or made colder via the wind.

ADDITION OF COLD ADVISORY AND COLD WARNING

The new COLD ADVISORY and COLD WARNING will be used to indicate temperatures or wind chills low enough to cause harm to people and property. These more closely align with the warm season products of HEAT ADVISORY and HEAT WARNING. The COLD ADVISORY and COLD WARNING will have some geographical variation. Areas north of the interstates are slightly more tolerant to the cold and therefore have a slightly lower threshold.

UPDATES TO FREEZE WARNING

The FREEZE WARNING will be restored to its original purpose as an agricultural product based on two zones within the Storm Station Forecast Area. For southwest Mississippi and neighboring Louisiana Parishes, a FREEZE WARNING will be triggered the first two times that temperatures dip below 32 degrees. Since the first two instances are considered a “killing” freeze, it will not be issued again unless there has been a prolonged warm spell and growing has resumed. Along and south of the Interstate 10/12 Corridor, the FREEZE WARNING will be issued every time temperatures are expected to dip below 32 degrees.