Extreme cold and snow

Cold kills slowly and deceives: hypothermia clouds judgment before the victim realizes they are in danger. You do not need a blizzard; the combination of wet clothing, wind, and fatigue is enough at temperatures of 50 °F (10 °C). In many regions extreme cold is rare, but when it arrives (as in the February 2021 winter storm in the southern U.S.) it finds people without proper clothing, without experience, and with a poorly equipped car. This chapter covers clothing, hypothermia, frostbite, shelter in snow, being stranded in your car, ice on rivers and lakes, and dehydration in the cold. For general shelter and fire, see chapters 4 and 5; for winter storms at home, chapter 10; for general first aid, chapter 7.