Preventing hypothermia as temperatures plunge

Hypothermia risks increase as temperatures decrease; AccuWeather's Tony Laubach tells us about the condition and what you can do to prevent it.

Transcript

00:00 Hypothermia in a nutshell is just a medical emergency

00:03 when your body is losing heat faster

00:05 than it can produce it.

00:06 Hypothermia is caused by prolonged exposure

00:09 to very cold temperatures.

00:10 Lengthy exposures will eventually use up

00:12 your body's stored energy.

00:14 That leads to dangerously low body temperatures

00:17 at the extreme and can cause dysfunction

00:20 in all your organ systems and eventually lead to death

00:23 if it's severe enough.

00:24 Symptoms may include chills, confusion, and clumsiness,

00:27 and in more severe cases, you could pass out

00:29 or experience heart and respiratory issues.

00:32 If you're experiencing hypothermia,

00:34 get indoors and take off wet clothes and boots.

00:36 A blanket or warm washcloth is a good way

00:38 to gently reheat your body.

00:40 Prevent hypothermia by dressing in layers,

00:42 wearing a hat and appropriate footwear.

00:44 Dr. Yochim also recommends keeping a supply kit in your car.

00:47 Nobody wants to crash their car.

00:49 Nobody wants to have a flat tire in the middle of nowhere,

00:51 but having some hand warmers, gloves, blankets, a poncho,

00:55 those type of things in your vehicle,

00:57 just in case you're gonna get stuck in these situations.

01:00 For AccuWeather, I'm meteorologist Tony Laubach.