Watch out for the wind chill factor!

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Story Published: Jan 22, 2008 at 8:57 AM PST

By Molly Blancett

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EUGENE - There's no nice way to put it.

"Gosh it's cold," said Josh Newman.

"It's really cold," said his daughter Sophia.

It is downright chilly.

"We didn't bring too much to stay warm," said 5-year-old Jack Thornton. "We didn't even know it was going to be this cold."

But the chill doesn't seem to bother most people around here.

"I'm having a great time," said Fran Ross. "It's sunny. It's not rainy."

But, that sun can be deceiving. There's not a cloud in the sky to keep the heat in. That means really chilly temps with an even chillier wind chill. The wind chill factor is the temperature the air feels like when the wind picks up and the temperatures are already down. That factor can be treacherous to our health.

"It can effect the surface of your body," said Peace Health Urgent Care Lead Physician Dr. Michael Weinstein. "In other words, you can get frostbite on your extremities and if you are very cold you can get something called hypothermia."

Our bodies do whatever they can to stay warm when the mercury drops. But, they can't do it alone. Doctors say the best way to stay warm is to layer up and keep the fluids flowing.

"You can get relatively dehydrated," said Dr. Weinstein. "So by keeping hydrated you will protect yourself a little bit from getting hypothermic."

That doesn't mean you can't have a little fun in the sun.

"We're just going to ride around on our bikes," said Thornton.

As long as you plan ahead and head inside if you start to feel lethargic just too cold.

It's not getting any warmer. The National Weather Service says we should expect single digit wind chills later this week. So, be sure to bundle up or stay inside.

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