Wichita, KS – Kansas may face a burst of early-winter cold heading into Thanksgiving week, raising concerns about frostbite and hypothermia, according to updated projections from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The Nov. 19 climate outlook shows a major pattern shift beginning November 25, with colder-than-normal air likely spreading across the central Plains through early December.
According to NOAA, the cold pattern is being driven by a combination of La Niña, the Madden–Julian Oscillation, and the possibility of a rare late-November sudden stratospheric warming event. These factors may help steer Arctic air deep into the North-Central and Eastern U.S., placing Kansas directly within a below-normal temperature zone as the holiday week begins.
As families prepare for Thanksgiving travel, hunting outings, football games, and early holiday shopping, state health officials warn that frostbite and hypothermia can develop more quickly than many realize — particularly when strong winds push wind-chill values well below freezing.
Common frostbite symptoms include:
• Numbness or loss of feeling
• Tingling or prickling sensations
• Cold, hard, waxy-looking skin
• Skin discoloration (red, white, blue, gray, or purple)
• Blisters that may appear after rewarming
Ten key signs of hypothermia:
Shivering, slurred speech, shallow breathing, weak pulse, confusion, memory loss, severe fatigue, stumbling or clumsiness, drowsiness, and — in severe cases — loss of consciousness. Infants may show bright red, cold skin and unusually low energy.
NOAA urges Kansas residents to dress in warm layers, keep extremities covered, and limit outdoor exposure during the coldest stretches of Thanksgiving week. Anyone showing frostbite or hypothermia symptoms should seek immediate medical attention and begin warming with warm — not hot — water or gentle body heat.
