INDIANA, USA — You will see new and simplified cold weather alerts from the National Weather Service this fall and winter. It's the next phase of the NWS' Hazard Simplification Project (HazSimp).
For your latest local forecast the next few days, tap HERE.
Cold temperature alerts
In short, very cold weather is dangerous. Winds can make it feel colder. That's why we talk about wind chills and what it "feels like." However, cold air with or without wind can be dangerous.
Instead of having two separate alerts for cold with wind and cold without wind, there will just be just one cold alert.
Watches
Watches are meant to give people a heads up. The type of weather expected is on the way, but not there just yet.
There will just be a single extreme cold watch.
- Extreme cold watch: -25 degrees and colder in the next couple days
Warnings
Warnings are meant to alert people to a weather condition that is actively happening, or just about to start momentarily.
There will be a single extreme cold warning, regardless of wind chill.
- Extreme cold warning: -25 degrees and colder now or very soon
Advisories
Advisories are current alerts that highlight impactful weather. It has an easier threshold contrasted to a warning.
Instead of calling it a "wind chill advisory," it will not just be a "cold weather advisory."
- Cold weather advisory: -15 to -24 degrees now or very soon
Freeze alerts
There are also updates to freeze alerts. Instead of delineating between freezes and hard freezes, there will just be a single freeze alert.
Hard freezes are colder than freezes. However, both types of freezes will hurt or possibly kill sensitive plants.
Watches
There will just be a single freeze watch.
- Freeze watch: Freezing or sub-freezing temperatures expected in the next 24-36 hours
Warnings
There will be a single freeze warning.
- Freezing warning: Freezing or sub-freezing temperatures currently, or expected within 24 hours
Over the next couple years, expect more consolidation and replacement of weather alerts.