Winter Storms
Articles
Danger:
Winter storms can range from sleet to several feet of snow. Winter storms generally happen between December and February, known as 'meteorological winter'. The general 4 month 'winter season' in the US is between December through March.
Surprisingly, when snow storms happen outside of meteorological winter, they most often happen in the spring, rather than the fall. For those in the south, don't get too comfortable, just like out of season snowstorms, snowstorms can be out of region too.
The most recent out-of-character deadly snow storm showed up in Texas in early 2021. Unfortunately, the Texas infrastructure was not properly equipped to handle the level of blizzard this storm was ready to drop. In retrospect, there were many upgrades and modernizations that Texas could have made to their states underlaying architecture that could have helped prevent the level of devastation that occurred.
Hazards of winter storms:
With winter storms come other hazards and silent killers.
- Extended Power Outages
- Carbon Monoxide
- Frozen Pipes
- Icy Roads
- High Snowfall
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The 411 on Carbon Monoxide Poisoning: Symptoms, Causes and Prevention
No Water Challenge - 1 Day
Hazards of Snowstorms
Why Winter Storm Risk Matters to Your Family
A winter storm can reach well past the regions that expect snow, as Texas found in early 2021. The snow is only part of the risk. The hazards that follow it often do the most harm, and a look back at past winter storms shows how fast they stack up.
- Power outages can stretch for days, and a no power challenge tests your home before a storm does.
- Heating with the wrong fuel indoors brings a silent risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
- Roads turn to ice, which makes winter travel safety part of every trip.
- Frozen water looks solid until it is not, so learn about falling through ice.
Start with snowstorm hazards, then turn to snowstorm preparedness and snowstorm survival to get your family ready.
