DENVER — Denver’s frigid forecast is colliding with one of the biggest weekends for the Broncos, and doctors warn that the extreme temperatures could quickly lead to frostbite and hypothermia.
The Broncos will be battling the Patriots for the AFC Championship on Sunday, with kickoff temperature on track to be around 20 degrees and wind chills around 15.
Denver7 has been speaking with excited fans about how they’re preparing for the game. Despite the cold weather, most say it’s not affecting their support for the team.
“Not worried about anything. I was built for this, " Joseph Owens told Denver7 Saturday morning after sharing his plans to go to the fan rally in Larimer Square in the afternoon. “We're born for this Colorado weather. Gotta stay with Colorado weather."
Shane Moore, another fan, added, “Broncos play better when it's cold, and you show your support.”
Fans Justin Martinez and Chantel Sandoval say the cold affects their tailgate, not their spirit.
“Bottom line is, we had to adjust a few things due to the cold weather, so we'll make those adjustments, and we'll be ready to go,” Martinez said.
“We actually wanted to go out with the Big Bang for this AFC Championship. We were going to have a full buffet brunch,” Sandoval said. “Now we're having handheld breakfast burritos, bacon and sausage, as well as green chili pozole and green chili soup. So we're also going to incorporate some hot chocolate to keep our friends and family warm."
“They (Broncos) need us there, and we're going to show up. That's just what it comes down to," Martinez said.
Fans traveling from out of state share the same sentiment.
“This cold doesn't bother me. It's colder at home right now. So we're used to it. We get a lot more snow, too. So nothing to us,” Joseph Jerome said, who, along with his wife, Anna, traveled to Denver from New York.
But even amid all the fan excitement heading into Sunday's game, health officials are urging caution.
“The extreme temperatures this weekend are going to put people at risk for both frostbite and hypothermia,” Dr. Katie Sprinkel emphasized.
Dr. Sprinkel, ER physician and medical director at HCA HealthONE Aurora and Centennial, urges fans to recognize early symptoms.
“We see a lot of frostnip and frostbite in the ER, and the warning signs you're going to see are tingling in your fingers and toes. We also see it a lot in noses and cheeks and your chin,” she said.
Dr. Sprinkel explained that frostnip allows for full recovery if treated quickly, but frostbite can cause permanent damage if not promptly addressed.
“When nerves have real damage and tissues have real damage, you don't always get full recovery. And so it's very important to pay attention to those symptoms,” she explained. “Frostbite can happen within minutes in extreme temperatures, and certainly within an hour. And even in cold temperatures that we're going to be seeing this weekend.”
She also adds that alcohol may provide a “false sense of reassurance” about your warmth. Making it even more important for people to be aware of the symptoms so you aren’t “falsely comfortable."
So if you are heading to the game, here are some tips on how you should dress from Dr. Sprinkel:
“You want to avoid cotton, because that can trap moisture near your core and help you lose the heat faster. Dress in layers. Have a windproof layer on top, making sure that your vulnerable areas are covered if you have access to hand warmers and foot warmers. So having external sources of heat can be really helpful,” she said.
If you develop frostbite symptoms, act quickly to avoid more damage.
“For frostbite, we want to warm gradually. We use warm water. Remember, your nerves are damaged, so it's going to be hard to sense the temperature of what you're using. So you need to be careful not to cause further tissue injury by using water that would be too hot,” Dr. Sprinkel explained.
“The other thing that could potentially worsen outcomes is having cycles of warming and then refreezing. So you want to make sure that once you have frostbite, that you rewarm and you can protect it from further injury by keeping things warm and preventing any refreezing,” she added.
The AFC Championship game starts at 1p.m. at Empower Field.
