Strong Winds — Winds can create blizzard conditions
with wind-driven snow, heavy drifting and dangerous wind chill. Such winds
can knock down trees and damage utility poles and power lines. Coastal storms
can cause flooding and beach erosion.
Extreme Cold — Prolonged exposure to cold conditions
can cause frostbite or hypothermia. Infants and elderly people are most susceptible.
Freezing temperatures can cause severe damage to vegetation. Pipes may freeze
and burst in homes that are poorly insulated or without heat. Long cold spells
can cause rivers to freeze, disrupting shipping. Ice jams may form and lead
to flooding.
Ice Storms — Ice accumulations can bring down
trees, electrical wires, telephone poles and lines, and communication towers.
Even small accumulations of ice may cause extreme hazards to motorists and
pedestrians.
Heavy Snow — Snow storms can bring a major
city to a standstill. It can strand commuters, stop incoming supplies such
as food, and disrupt emergency and medical services. The weight of snow can
collapse buildings and break tree limbs. Rural homes and farms can be isolated
for days.
Hypothermia — Hypothermia is dangerously low
body temperature, below 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Centigrade). Learn
more about causes, symptoms, first aid and prevention. The warning signs
are uncontrollable shivering, memory loss, disorientation, incoherence, slurred
speech,drowsiness, and apparent exhaustion.
Wind Chill — The wind chill is based on the
rate of heat loss from exposed skin caused by combined effects of wind and
cold. As the wind increases, heat is carried away from the body at an accelerated
rate, driving down the body temperature. Animals are also affected by wind
chill. View
a wind chill chart.
Overexertion — It is easy to overdo it when
shoveling heavy snow, pushing a car or walking in deep snow. The strain from
the cold and the hard labor may cause a heart attack, and sweating could lead
to a chill and hypothermia.
