It’s Not ‘Windchill’ in Missouri Anymore: Here’s The New Name

The National Weather Service is changing a variety of cold weather watches and warnings that they use to warn people about the cold and freezing temperatures. That means there will be no wind chill watches and warnings. So what are the changes? Keep reading to find out.

Wind Chill Watches, Warnings, and Advisories will disappear. The terms that will replace them are Extreme Cold Watch, Extreme Cold Warning, and Cold Weather Advisory.  Part of the change is due to a common misconception that extreme cold is only tied to colder temperatures when windy. That's not the case; dangerously cold weather can accompany or follow wintery precipitation, and the wind chill advisories, watches, and warnings tend to be overshadowed by whatever precipitation is falling or predicted.

Hard Freeze Watches and Warnings will be discontinued this year and replaced by the terms Freeze Watches and Freeze Warnings.

Is it a big thing? Not really. Yet, perhaps words matter, and clarity is better when communicating potentially life-changing important information. The truth is, cold is cold, whether a wind chill value or the actual temperature. So, eliminating any ambiguity isn't a bad thing.

These new terms went into effect on October 1, 2024.