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Explainer: How to be prepared for winter weather hazards

Explainer: How to be prepared for winter weather hazards
in the last video, we talked *** little about how winter storms form and different types of wintry precipitation. Now we want to talk *** little bit about winter weather safety here. And one of the big hazards that we can sometimes see in central Iowa during the winter our snow squalls. *** snow squall is *** sudden onset of intense heavy snow and gusty winds that can lead to white out conditions and rapidly deteriorating road conditions. Now you may think, well that's just *** blizzard. Well, the difference between *** snow squall and *** blizzard is the time at this last typically with *** snow squall. These only last less than two hours with *** blizzard. On the other hand though that will last three hours or greater. So snow squalls are definitely something you have to be careful with and you can receive alerts on your phone from the National Weather Service if you have those enabled. So watch out and be careful for snow squalls. Some winter driving safety tips here. Obviously this isn't the south so everything can't shut down during winter. But there are some practical safety tips that can help you as you go along this upcoming season. You want to make sure you check your tires and the big thing you want to check is to make sure you have an adequate amount of tread and also plenty of pressure as well. The tread on your tires is very important because that will help maintain that grip on that road surface and obviously you want to make sure you have enough air in your tires because when it gets cold you lose *** lot of air pressure. Another thing you wanna do, make sure you remove ice and snow from your car off the tops off the windows and off the mirrors is that can go flying around and impede visibility of other motorists. And then lastly, if you ever come across *** situation where you're skidding and come across an icy surface, you'll want to slow down, avoid accelerating too fast and then steer in the direction that you want to go. And again. You can obviously avoid that by driving slow in the first place on *** snowy surface or avoid travel during *** winter storm. Not only are we concerned about wintry precipitation during the winter, but we also have to watch for cold temperatures as well. And one of the big factors that we look at is the wind chill. And this works whenever we have gusty winds and cold temperatures, our bodies naturally lose heat through convection when it's very cold, that means the heat is escaping from your body, But with little to no. When that little layer of heat that's around your body can stay in place and can kind of act as *** way to insulate you. However, when things change here, when we get gusty winds that helps to remove that layer of heat around the outside of your body and so *** temperature of 20° no longer feels as comfortable vent. You start to worry about windchill and that helps to speed up heat loss, making it feel much colder and that can lead to dangerous conditions. Health conditions like hypothermia. So this is *** wind chill chart that you'll see use from time to time. The colder these wind chills, the faster you can, you can have frostbite. So you'll want to be mindful of those windchill values and be careful if you are outside. So avoid or limit time outdoors during extremely cold conditions, cover exposed skin. Bring pets indoors. Always have *** travel safety kit and check on your vulnerable family, friends and neighbors as well. I'm storm teammate, meteorologist Trey Fulbright and we hope you have *** safe winter.
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Explainer: How to be prepared for winter weather hazards
Winter can be a fun and enjoyable time of year with the snow and cold temperatures, but there are also dangers that exist if you are not careful. One of the hazards central Iowa has seen in the past is called a "snow squall." These snow squalls are sudden bursts of intense snow and winds that can lead to whiteouts and very dangerous driving conditions. Unlike blizzards, snow squalls are shorter in duration (less than two hours), but it only takes a short amount of time for conditions to get out of hand.In October 2020, a snow squall produced a localized swath of 6-9 inches of snow over northern portions of the Des Moines metro area, leading to dangerous travel conditions and reduced visibility.In Pennsylvania, a deadly 80-car pileup happened during a snow squall in late March 2022. Commuters should always be alert to rapidly changing weather conditions and avoid traveling if possible during a snow squall warning. Obviously, life can’t come to halt every time there is winter weather, but there are some practical driving and care maintenance tips you can practice: Check your tires for adequate tread and plenty of air. Make sure your vehicle has plenty of fluids, a strong battery and your oil is changed. Remove snow and ice from your vehicle. If skidding, avoid accelerating and braking too hard. Turn in the direction of the skid to regain control. Always drive slowly and carefully on snow/ice-covered roads. Snow and ice aren’t the only danger, but extreme temperatures can lead to health problems and even death if you’re not careful.The wind chill or “feels like” temperature describes how you perceive temperature when it’s very windy. Wind speeds up heat loss from your body by removing the insulating layer of heat, thereby making you feel colder than the actual air temperature. When wind chills drop below -20 degrees, this can lead to frostbite on exposed skin in 30 minutes, and when wind chills are colder than -35 degrees, frostbite can occur in under 10 minutes. During periods of extreme cold you can practice the following tips to keep yourself safe and healthy: Limit time outdoors Cover exposed skin Bring pets indoors Make sure you have a travel safety kit with food and supplies Check on vulnerable family and friends. Here at KCCI Storm Team 8, we will alert you to changing weather conditions, and we hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable winter.

Winter can be a fun and enjoyable time of year with the snow and cold temperatures, but there are also dangers that exist if you are not careful.

One of the hazards central Iowa has seen in the past is called a "snow squall." These snow squalls are sudden bursts of intense snow and winds that can lead to whiteouts and very dangerous driving conditions. Unlike blizzards, snow squalls are shorter in duration (less than two hours), but it only takes a short amount of time for conditions to get out of hand.

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In October 2020, a snow squall produced a localized swath of 6-9 inches of snow over northern portions of the Des Moines metro area, leading to dangerous travel conditions and reduced visibility.

In Pennsylvania, a deadly 80-car pileup happened during a snow squall in late March 2022. Commuters should always be alert to rapidly changing weather conditions and avoid traveling if possible during a snow squall warning.

Obviously, life can’t come to halt every time there is winter weather, but there are some practical driving and care maintenance tips you can practice:

  • Check your tires for adequate tread and plenty of air.
  • Make sure your vehicle has plenty of fluids, a strong battery and your oil is changed.
  • Remove snow and ice from your vehicle.
  • If skidding, avoid accelerating and braking too hard. Turn in the direction of the skid to regain control.
  • Always drive slowly and carefully on snow/ice-covered roads.

Snow and ice aren’t the only danger, but extreme temperatures can lead to health problems and even death if you’re not careful.

The wind chill or “feels like” temperature describes how you perceive temperature when it’s very windy. Wind speeds up heat loss from your body by removing the insulating layer of heat, thereby making you feel colder than the actual air temperature. When wind chills drop below -20 degrees, this can lead to frostbite on exposed skin in 30 minutes, and when wind chills are colder than -35 degrees, frostbite can occur in under 10 minutes. During periods of extreme cold you can practice the following tips to keep yourself safe and healthy:

  • Limit time outdoors
  • Cover exposed skin
  • Bring pets indoors
  • Make sure you have a travel safety kit with food and supplies
  • Check on vulnerable family and friends.

Here at KCCI Storm Team 8, we will alert you to changing weather conditions, and we hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable winter.