Michigan (DDN) – Many Michigan school districts have canceled classes for Tuesday and Wednesday due to the expected harsh cold temperatures.
Those choices can be difficult to make at times, and there are no hard and fast rules about how long it takes for someone to develop cold-related disease under specific settings, according to Dr. Jason Vieder, vice chairman of emergency medicine at Henry Ford Health.
Vieder explained that this is due to a variety of individual characteristics, such as particular health issues and age. “You have a little bit more difficulty with regulating body temperature when you’re kind of either young or a little bit older,” he told me. “So those folks are more at risk.”
Nonetheless, Vieder said that with the type of extreme cold expected over the next two days — temperatures expected to be below zero in the mornings, and even lower with the wind chill factor — people should aim to be outside “as little as possible,” because the first signs of frostbite can appear within minutes on untreated skin.
According to Vieter, the wind chill not only makes it feel colder but can also expedite the start of harmful effects. “The wind can cause your skin and your body to cool faster,” he told me. “In addition to the temperature, the wind is a major factor in how cold we feel, and how quickly you can get sick.”
However, if you must go outside over the next several days, Vieder recommends clothing in numerous warm layers and covering susceptible extremities such as fingers and ears.
“You have to protect those things,” Vieter explained. “And if you’re outside, try to be active. That helps you keep your body warm.”
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