With such warm weather over the past few months Mother Nature has been spoiling us.
But now that's changed and with temperatures expected to dip between 20 and 40 degrees below zero over the next two days, we're finally forced to bundle up.
The Northwestern School is taking the cold weather very seriously and has a policy that determines when children aren't allowed outside for recess.
With Jack Frost finally making a bitter cold appearance children's safety outside the classroom is now a concern.
"If we have body parts covered, especially with the South Dakota wind the way it can cause damage to the kids especially in this cold weather, it's just a great sign when we see all the kids with their gear on," Northwestern Elementary School Principal Chris Osborn said.
Osborn says the school has a chart that helps gauge whether or not the kids will be allowed to go outside for recess.
He says the cut off temperature for kids to be allowed outside is between 0 and negative 20 degrees.
"The wind came up in the middle of recess and again, I kinda thought about the chart, and had lined the kids up. But we decided once we got there that it was still ok to be outside," Osborn said.
The wind Osborn described changed the temperature from 14 degrees to below zero in just the snap of a finger.
The very change that Sanford Aberdeen family physician James Redmond says could cause frostbite if the right action isn't taken immediately.
"The Frostbite can be sneaky because your fingers will feel numb and it doesn't really hurt, but that's already beginning frostbite when they start to feel numb," Redmond said.
He also said it only takes a minute in negative 20 degree weather for your skin to freeze and just ten seconds at negative 40 degrees.
Which is why Principals like Osborn say they are making sure to take extra precautions.
According to Osborn there is no standard for when schools should cancel school or ask students to come inside for recess.
Click the link below to view Sanford Health's tips for cold temperature exposure.
http://www.sanfordhealth.org/HealthInformation/Healthwise/Topic/colde#aa54016
