Houses covered in heavy snow on Lawrence Street, MA seen through the snowy windshield of a car

  • Public Domain. Credit: Library of Congress

    • Hazard

    Extreme Cold

    A cold wave is a rapid fall in temperature within 24 hours and extreme low temperatures for an extended period. The temperatures classified as a cold wave are dependent on the location and defined by the local National Weather Service (NWS) weather forecast office. Extreme cold is sometimes accompanied by winter storm events in which the main types of precipitation are snow, sleet, or freezing rain.

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