Those planning to venture outdoors – particularly those heading in the Adirondack backcountry – must take precautions to avoid hypothermia and frostbite.

The National Weather Service issued a wind chill advisory for most of the Adirondacks for Wednesday with expected wind chills of -15 to -25 below zero, and then -25 to -40 Wednesday night through Thursday night.

“The dangerously cold wind chills will cause frostbite in as little as 10 minutes to exposed skin,” stated the NWS.

This is the start of a prolonged stretch of very cold temperatures with even more dangerous wind chill conditions likely developing Wednesday night and Thursday.

The NWS also issued a wind chill warning from 7 p.m. Wednesday through 7 a.m. Friday.

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Weather forecast

Below is the weather forecast for the Lake Placid region, according to the NWS.

-Thursday: Mostly sunny and cold, with a high near -3. Wind chill values as low as -39. West wind around 15 mph.

-Thursday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around -18. Wind chill values as low as -32. West wind 6 to 10 mph.

-Friday: Mostly cloudy and cold, with a high near 2. West wind 3 to 6 mph.

-Friday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around -14. Light west wind.

-Saturday: Mostly cloudy and cold, with a high near 4. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.

-Saturday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around -16. Northwest wind 5 to 8 mph.

-Sunday: Partly sunny and cold, with a high near -3. West wind 9 to 11 mph.

-Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around -18. West wind 8 to 10 mph.

-New Year’s Day: Partly sunny and cold, with a high near -1. West wind around 8 mph.

-Monday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around -17. West wind around 7 mph.

-Tuesday: Mostly sunny and cold, with a high near 4. West wind around 7 mph.

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Outdoor tips

DEC advises those who venture into the outdoors to take following steps to avoid frostbite and hypothermia:

1. Wear items of clothing to cover all skin including:

-Layers of synthetic or wool winter clothing

-Warm socks and winter boots

-Insulated, wind resistant upper and lower outer shell

-Hat and gloves or mittens

-Scarf or ski mask

-Goggles or glasses

2. Hike, snowshoe, and ski on low-elevation, wooded trails

3. Spend only short periods of time in the outdoors

4. Avoid high elevation summits and other exposed areas

5. If you do go despite the warnings, be sure to carry a sleeping bag and shelter.