The National Weather Service (NWS) has implemented a transition to cold and freeze warnings and watches beginning this fall and winter to continue to simplify communications.

The change is part of the NWS Hazard Simplification initiative. In recent years, the state weather agency has reduced the number of warnings it issues through consolidation. An example of this is the simplification of winter precipitation warnings in 2017.

These changes were made based on feedback from the public and meteorological community and supported by research and feedback from social scientists.

Wind chill monitors, warnings and advisories have been removed. Instead, they were grouped into extreme cold warnings, extreme cold warnings and cold warnings.

These simplified warnings not only indicate when, but also how much the cold will subside, information that was already included in the now-defunct wind chill warnings.

“The new NWS Cold Product Suite will enable NWS to communicate that cold is dangerous, with or without wind. “Wind chill will not go away despite the emphasis on ‘cold is cold’ for public safety,” the agency said in a press release.

The criteria for issuing these cold warnings varies by region. For example, in North Dakota, the threshold for issuing extreme cold warnings and warnings is much lower compared to Florida.

Cold Weather Warnings are issued in situations where an area experiences cold temperatures or wind chill, but not extreme temperatures. This means you should still dress appropriately and cover exposed skin.

Severe frost watches and warnings have been removed. The existing freeze monitoring and warnings are carried over and may include hard freeze messages.

A freeze occurs when temperatures reach 32 degrees or colder. Most vegetation is destroyed when temperatures reach 28 degrees or colder, which is called a hard freeze, according to NOAA.

Freeze warnings are issued when these conditions are possible and warnings are issued when these conditions are expected or will continue.

Frost warnings will continue to be issued where frost could cause minor damage to vegetation. Because at temperatures above freezing between 33 and 36 degrees, frost sometimes occurs, especially in rural areas.

(​MORE: When to expect your first frost)

Chris Dolce has been a senior meteorologist at Weather.com for over 10 years, having started his career at The Weather Channel in the early 2000s.