National Weather Service Simplifies Cold Weather Alerts with New Advisory System

WISCONSIN (OnFocus) – The National Weather Service (NWS) has streamlined its cold weather advisories, watches, and warnings (starting October 1, 2024). These changes are aimed at simplifying and consolidating the way cold weather information is communicated to the public, making it easier for people to understand and act on the advisories.

Here’s what’s changing:

1. Extreme Cold Watch and Wind Chill Watch are being merged into one advisory called Extreme Cold Watch.
2. Extreme Cold Warning and Wind Chill Warning will be combined into a single warning called Extreme Cold Warning.
3. The Wind Chill Advisory will be replaced with a more straightforward term, Cold Weather Advisory.

These changes simplify the previous system and consolidate multiple terms into fewer, more concise advisories, so people can more easily understand the severity of incoming cold weather. Additionally, these updates come with changes in the coding system used by weather services and providers. The Wind Chill (WC) code will be retired, while the Extreme Cold (EC) and Cold Weather (CW) codes will remain in place, ensuring automated weather systems reflect the updated terminology.

Also, the Hard Freeze Watch will now fall under the Freeze Watch, and the Hard Freeze Warning will be included in the Freeze Warning. However, the term “Hard Freeze” can still appear within the text for more context when necessary.

This consolidation is designed to provide clearer and more efficient communication, helping communities prepare for extreme cold events with more clarity.

These updates aim to improve the public’s understanding of cold weather threats, helping everyone stay safe during the coldest times of the year.

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