Cold weather myths explored

That balmy November? Forget about it. Now it's December, it's cold and things won't get better until March.

Time to start pondering these important questions, such as: Does most heat get lost through the head? And is it necessary to warm your car when it's freezing outside?

Such are the issues of the day - along with the more serious concerns about safe driving and keeping the driveway cleared - as the region braces for a winter storm today and Wednesday. The National Weather Service forecasts up to 10 inches of snow could fall in the area, depending on location, with windy conditions and temperatures ranging from a high of 33 degrees today to a low of 8 degrees Wednesday night.

Over the two days, "we expect anywhere from 6 inches in the Fox River valley up to maybe 10 inches around Rockford," weather service meteorologist Jim Allsopp said. "In the Northwest suburbs, there will be about 6 inches of snow or so."

Authorities are advising drivers to go slow and make way for snowplows, while Metra issued an advisory that trains may be delayed today and Wednesday.

One piece of good news - the National Weather Service forecasts a relatively mild winter with above-normal temperatures December through February.

Now back to the head/heat issue. The Daily Herald interviewed experts in an effort to debunk or verify some favorite cold weather truisms.

According to Northwest Community Hospital physician Jim Ekeberg, yes, body heat can be lost through the head, and yes, hats are a good idea.

"Any exposed skin radiates heat," said Ekeberg, chief of family medicine at NCH. "Any exposed area will cause you to be cold." Compared to other parts of the body, the head has more blood vessels closer to the surface, meaning more heat is exchanged, he said.

Here's some other cold weather conventional wisdom.

• Is warming up your car on a freezing day essential? Not necessarily, said Vic Pfammatter, owner of Hawkeye Automotive in Lake Zurich. New cars built since the late 1990s have high-tech systems that compensate for cold weather, he explained.

However, Argonne National Laboratory mechanical engineer Mike Duoba said that's a topic his colleagues debate. One thing's clear, Duoba said, there's no difference in engine impact between warming the car in the driveway and warming the car while driving slowly down the street.

• Will drinking alcohol keep you warm? That's a false impression, Ekeberg said. Normally, when you go out in the cold, veins constrict to preserve heat. Alcohol has the opposite effect on them.

• Should you pamper your car with premium fuel in winter?

"Most people agree - if the engine doesn't require higher octane fuel, you don't gain anything by putting it in there," said Duoba, who works at Argonne's Center for Transportation Research in DuPage County.

• And, does being out in chilly weather cause colds? That's never been proven, said Ekeberg,