PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Philadelphia region is in the grips of an arctic blast that has temperatures feeling like the single digits. And while the cold winter weather can be beautiful, it can also be very dangerous.
National Weather Service meteorologist Sarah Johnson said the weather this weekend wasn't record breaking, but it is certainly below average.
"In general, the January/February period is when we see some of our lowest daily records," she stated.
"The record lows for this time of year for Philadelphia are generally around or even below zero. We got down into the lower teens and we're only going to get up into the 20s."
In cold weather, Philadelphia family practice physician Dr. Vicki Bralow said there are certain conditions for which people should be mindful, including hypothermia, which can happen when your body temperature starts to drop below 95 degrees.
"This is why if you have little babies, you want to watch their bedrooms and make sure that they're warm. You don't want to go outside for long periods of time. If you're older, you want to be especially careful about this," she warned.
Bralow said people with heart conditions should be mindful of the weather, because cold weather constricts the arteries.
"When you go out in cold weather, what happens is you get vasoconstriction of your arteries, meaning that they get narrower. They clamp down," she said.
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"If you already have arteries that are going to your heart that are narrowed and then they get even narrower because of the cold weather, you can reduce the amount of blood to your heart enough that you can have a heart attack."
But Bralow said this doesn't mean you shouldn't go out in the cold weather. "You just have to make sure that you're smart about it," she said.
She recommended dressing in warm layers, pacing yourself when it comes to strenuous activities and staying hydrated. If you're doing any outdoor dining this weekend, be mindful of drinking alcohol out in the cold.
"The worst thing you can do is drink alcohol and be outside in the cold weather because alcohol opens up your arteries. That's why people flush when they drink," she said. "It gives you a false sense that you're warmer when in actuality, you really aren't."
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