Page 2 of WeatherReady

Although actual temperatures and wind chills typically are not extreme enough in the Arklatex region to induce frostbite…hypothermia is a potentially life threatening condition brought on by the lowering of core body temperature. Normal human core body temperatures reside around 98.6 F. A dangerous lowering to less than 95 F requires immediate medical attention. Warning signs of this condition include excessive shivering…confusion… slurred speech…and drowsiness. If medical personnel are not immediately available…it is imperative to get the victim into dry clothing…taking measures to warm the torso and head regions. At this point there are two very important things to keep in mind. First…the warming of the victims body must be gradual…including the ingestion of warm…NOT HOT…food and beverages. Using your own body heat is an excellent way to induce gradual warming to the victim. Secondly…do not initially warm extremities BEFORE warming the body core. This results in moving colder blood to the heart…which can lead to cardiac failure. Finally…Do not administer drugs…including alcohol or even caffeine…to the victim. For the prevention of hypothermia…the most important thing to keep in mind is to remain dry. When exposed to cold…especially combined with wind…which acts to 'wick' away body heat from the skin surface…the addition of moisture creates a sudden loss of body heat. Even perspiration in cold weather…mainly due to physical exertion… will lead to a lowering of body temperature. Ironically…this is exactly when the purpose of perspiration is…cooling ones body in hot conditions. Since the majority of heat loss occurs through ones head…due to the head being the greatest concentration of blood flow in ones body…it is very important to keep ones head covered when exposed to cold conditions.

Keep in mind that when cold weather does occur in the Arklatex… it is frequently accompanied by high humidities and precipitation.

The drought of 2005-06 resulted in some of highest fire danger and wildfire occurrence ever experienced in the Shreveport forecast area of Southeast Oklahoma, Southwest Arkansas, Northeast Texas, and much of Northwest Louisiana. Northeast Texas was particularly hard hit, with the Texas Forest Service having to assist local fire departments throughout the summer months. In mid August, the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) climbed into the top three percent of the historical average drought for portions of the area, resulting in lowering of Red Flag criteria for East Texas counties in the Fire Weather Forecast issued by WFO Shreveport. Fortunately, a rain event in late August alleviated the extreme dryness, and normal Red Flag criteria were resumed.

Hopefully, with the El Nino pattern setting up in the equatorial Pacific, wintertime rainfall November through February will be above normal, giving firefighters acrossthe four-state region a well deserved break.