With wind chills well below zero Friday into early Saturday morning, area medical professionals have some advice. Dr. Michael, who is Chair of Emergency Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center says the most important thing to do is to cover up.
"Exposed skin and extremities are really at risk when it is this cold and when there is a wind chill, so being conscientious of that and dressing in layers, warm socks, gloves or mittens, hat, even covering your face if you are going to be outside for a really long period of time are really important things. "
"You really won't know you have frostbite until you have it but you will know that you're cold, you will sense that your fingers and toes and face hurt, and then other people might look at you and say, hey, your nose is turning white, your skin doesn't look good, your becoming cold. "
And Kamali says you also need to watch out for hypothermia. He says shivering is just the first sign of that, and he says the elderly and young children are especially susceptible.
"After that, as your core body temperature begins to go even lower, confusion can set in and people can begin to act in a very strange sort of manner, that's a medical emergency, when you approach that point, and that's when you should call 911. "
Kamali says the emergency room often sees cases of frostbite or hypothermia in weather like this.
