The dangerously cold weather that settled on Wisconsin may have claimed a life over the weekend. A security camera showed a 21-year-old woman collapsing in front of a Milwaukee residence about 4:25 Sunday morning — when it was one-below with a wind chill of minus-20. The medical examiner’s office said the unidentified woman left a house party in the Riverwest neighborhood, and was not dressed for the weather, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
A week ago today, a woman froze to death outside a Green Bay tavern in similarly sub-zero temperatures.
As of 4:00 Monday morning, temperatures in Wisconsin ranged from two-below at Sturgeon Bay to 19-below at Hayward, with wind chills dropping to minus-33 at Antigo. Wind chill advisories remain in effect until noon for most of Wisconsin. Forecasters expect temperatures to slowly warm up from Tuesday through the end of the week.
Tod Pritchard with Wisconsin Emergency Management noted that in weather like this, frostbite can set in quickly – about 30 minutes – so it’s important to keep skin covered with warm clothing while outdoors. “Make sure you’re covering as much of your skin as possible,” he says. “Especially those really susceptible spots – the tip of your nose, tips of your ears, your hands, your feet.”
Also be watching for signs of hypothermia, such as sudden fatigue and slurred speech. If you or someone with you begins to show signs of the cold affecting their behavior, Pritchard said you should quickly seek warmer conditions indoors.
