Human body is adapted to warm climate. When it is exposed to extreme cold, it tries to keep itself warm and in this effort it decreases blood supply to legs, arms, ears and nose so that it can keep the vital organs warm. When the temperature in the atmosphere is below the freezing point, ice can form in these areas with decreased blood supply.

The causes of cold hands range from being as simple as extreme cold environment to some problem with the blood circulation or the blood vessels. Some of the common causes of cold hands are anaemia, diabetes, frostbite, peripheral artery disease or scleroderma.