Winter Weather Awareness - Preparing For The Storm

Heavy Mountain Snow in the Northwest U.S.; Wintry Mix North-Central to Northeast U.S.

Two cold fronts will pass through the Northwest U.S. this week with the main impact being heavy mountain snow across the Cascades, and northern Rockies. A quick moving storm system will bring mixed precipitation including some freezing rain to the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes overnight into Tuesday then the Northeast U.S. Tuesday night into Wednesday. Read More >

...WINTER WEATHER PREPAREDNESS... -------------------------------------------------------------------- ...IN YOUR VEHICLE... MAKE SURE YOU HAVE EXTRA SUPPLIES IN YOUR VEHICLE BEFORE THE STORM. YOU/LL WANT TO HAVE EXTRA BATTERIES...FLASHLIGHTS...FOOD...WATER... MEDICATION...FIRST AID SUPPLIES...BLANKETS... AND WARM CLOTHES. STAY TUNED TO YOUR WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL RADIO FOR UPDATED INFORMATION AND EMERGENCY INSTRUCTIONS. DURING A WINTER STORM...ONLY LEAVE YOUR HOME IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY. IF YOU CAN NO LONGER OPERATE YOUR VEHICLE PULL OFF THE ROAD...ACTIVATE YOUR HAZARD LIGHTS...AND HANG A DISTRESS FLAG FROM THE ANTENNA OR WINDOW. REMAIN IN YOUR VEHICLE TO STAY SAFE AND TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR RESCUERS TO FIND YOU. ALSO...REMEMBER TO KEEP THE EXHAUST PIPE FREE OF SNOW TO PREVENT CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING. BE COURTEOUS OF SNOW PLOWERS. REMOVE PARKED VEHICLES FROM ROADS THAT NEED TO BE PLOWED. WHEN PASSING A SNOW PLOW TRUCK...BE EXTRA CAREFUL AND GIVE THEM PLENTY OF ROOM TO OPERATE THE TRUCK. ...AT YOUR HOME... THE BEST DEFENSE AGAINST SEVERE WINTER WEATHER IS PREPAREDNESS. START PREPARING NOW FOR THE DANGEROUS ICE AND COLD THAT WILL PREVAIL IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS. KEEP ENOUGH SUPPLIES IN YOUR HOME TO MEET YOUR NEEDS FOR AT LEAST THREE DAYS. STAY INFORMED OF DEVELOPING WEATHER CONDITIONS BY CHECKING ONLINE OR BY LISTENING TO YOUR NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO...OR TELEVISION. AVOID OVEREXERTION...SUCH AS SHOVELING HEAVY SNOW OR WALKING IN DEEP SNOW. THE STRAIN FROM THE COLD AND HARD LABOR COULD CAUSE A HEART ATTACK. ...OUTDOORS... WEAR LOOSE...LIGHT-WEIGHT...WARM CLOTHING IN SEVERAL LAYERS. THIS HELPS AS TRAPPED AIR ACTS AS AN INSULATOR. ALSO...LAYERS CAN BE REMOVED TO AVOID PERSPIRATION AND SUBSEQUENT CHILL. OUTER GARMENTS SHOULD BE WATER REPELLENT AND REMEMBER TO ALWAYS WEAR A HAT...AS 40 PERCENT OF YOUR BODY HEAT CAN BE LOST FROM YOUR HEAD. ...LIVESTOCK AND PETS... PROVIDE LIVESTOCK A SUITABLE SHELTER FROM THE WIND AND PRECIPITATION ...AND MAKE SURE THEY HAVE A GOOD SUPPLY OF FRESH WATER AND FOOD. ALSO...REMEMBER TO PROTECT YOUR PETS FROM THE ELEMENTS. THEY ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO FROSTBITE TOO. GIVE THEM A GOOD SHELTER AND FRESH FOOD AND WATER. BETTER YET...BRING YOUR DOG OR CAT INDOORS DURING THE WINTER SEASON IF AT ALL POSSIBLE. --------------------------------------------------------------------- FOR MORE INFORMATION ON WINTER WEATHER...VISIT...