With the temperature dropping, students may want to be aware of the risk of getting frostbite.

NIU staff meteorologist Gilbert Sebenste said it’s possible to get frostbite any time the wind chill – not the temperature – goes below about 40 degrees.

“It may take a few hours for you to get frostbite when the wind chill is above freezing, but when the wind chill is below zero, it will take only minutes,” Sebenste said.

When wind chill is about 15 degrees below zero or colder, frostbite literally can occur in seconds, he said.

The average body temperature is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. When a portion of the body gets too cold, frostbite occurs.

“Essentially, frostbite forms when the tissue actually freezes,” said Christopher Hubbard, associate professor of biology.

He said when body tissue freezes, small ice crystals are formed which puncture and kill the cells.

Hubbard said frostbite is most likely to occur at a body’s extremities, such as hands, feet, nose and ears. This is because these body parts are more vulnerable to cold air and wind.

Christina Powell, a nurse at the Rochelle Community Hospital, provided a list of frostbite symptoms. The list includes stinging, throbbing, swelling to the area, blisters and skin discoloration or extreme redness.

In case frostbite occurs, Powell suggests that clothing immediately be removed, and the frostbitten area should be slowly warmed up.

“You always run the injured extremity under lukewarm water,” Powell said, adding that it is important not to use hot or cold water.

Any blisters need to be treated and a physician should be seen right away to assess the damage, Powell said.

Sebenste added more than one layer of clothing is preferred in cold weather.

“It’s basically best to wear multiple layers of warm clothes rather than just to wear one coat,” Sebenste said.

Students interested in cold-weather safety can check Sebenste’s Web site at http://weather.admin.niu.edu/advisory.html.