Wyoming to Replace “Wind Chill” Warnings with “Extreme Cold” in Winter Forecasts

In a shift for the upcoming 2024-2025 winter season, the National Weather Service (NWS) is retiring the term “wind chill” from its weather warnings in Wyoming, Cowboy State Daily reports.

Instead, the state will see a new category called “extreme cold.” While the change might sound like good news for Wyoming’s notoriously windy winters, wind chill isn’t disappearing—just being incorporated into broader “extreme cold” warnings.

The new terminology aims to simplify winter weather forecasts by providing a clearer picture of cold conditions, which may include both frigid temperatures and wind effects.

“We can get dangerously cold temperatures with or without much wind… This puts everything into one headline and makes it easier for people to understand,” explained NWS meteorologist Josh Sandstrom from the Cheyenne office.

Wind chill, which reflects how cold it feels on the skin due to wind speed, remains a key part of weather forecasts. Wyoming frequently experiences severe wind chills, sometimes dropping as low as minus 50 degrees. The change simply consolidates how these conditions are reported, using “extreme cold” to account for both temperature and wind.

Meteorologist Don Day supports the update, noting that it offers a fuller understanding of dangerous cold snaps.

“A wind chill warning doesn’t fully explain the severity of a cold snap… Extreme cold better communicates the risks, including how long such cold conditions may last,” said Day.

The NWS will maintain specific thresholds for issuing extreme cold watches and warnings, which will vary by region. Across Wyoming, an Extreme Cold Watch will be issued when temperatures drop to minus 20 degrees. For southern Wyoming, the threshold for a warning is minus 30 degrees, while in northern parts of the state, it’s minus 40 degrees.

The change is part of an NWS effort to streamline terminology for extreme weather conditions. Similar shifts have occurred in other contexts, such as the addition of “snow squall warnings” for intense but short-lived snowstorms.

Wyomingites can expect to see frequent mentions of “extreme cold” in their winter forecasts. Day’s long-range prediction points to a colder, snowier winter for the state, driven by La Niña weather patterns.

“The wind chill will still be part of the equation… but this new term will help people prepare for both the wind and the bitter cold that often follows Wyoming’s storms,” Day said.

With or without the wind, Wyoming’s winters are set to be severe, and the new terminology aims to keep residents better informed of the dangers ahead.