Weather Conditions and Patterns for Cold-Related EMS High-Impact Days in NYC

Cold weather can lead to frostbite and hypothermia and exacerbate pre-existing medical conditions, yet few studies have investigated its effects on public health in the United States. This project examined the relationship between cold weather and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) calls in New York City for five cold seasons (November to March) from 2013/14 to 2017/18. For this study, all calls classified relating to frostbite and hypothermia were defined as cold-related. A high impact EMS (HI-EMS) day was defined as any day with 27 or more cold-related EMS calls. In the five cold seasons examined, there were 76 HI-EMS days accounting for about 60% of the total cold-related call volume. The number of HI-EMS days increased with each cold season, with 36.8% of HI-EMS days occurring during the cold season of 2017/18.

Analyses indicated that daily mean wind chill temperature (WCT) has a statistically significant negative correlation with daily cold-related EMS call volume. Additionally, daily mean WCT was found to be significantly colder for HI-EMS days compared to days with fewer cold-related calls. Using NOAA WPC Surface Analysis and NCEP Reanalysis data, seven general surface weather patterns for HI-EMS days were identified. The distribution of these varied weather patterns differs by month and by cold season. Additional details regarding the varied weather patterns for HI-EMS days for NYC will be provided during the conference.