What makes blizzards dangerous?
Blizzards can create a variety of dangerous conditions. Traveling by automobile can become difficult or even impossible due to “whiteout” conditions and drifting snow. If you must drive in a blizzard, be prepared! Make sure your automobile is properly equipped and that you have emergency supplies in case you become stranded or lost. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has compiled a fact sheet on winter driving to help people prepare. The strong winds and cold temperatures accompanying blizzards can combine to create another danger. The wind chill factor is the amount of cooling one “feels” due to the combination of wind and temperature. For instance, a strong wind combined with a temperature of just below freezing can have the same effect as a still air temperature about 35 degrees colder. A wind chill chart may be used to estimate the wind chill factor. Exposure to low wind chill values can result in frostbite or hypothermia. Frostbite is a severe reaction to cold exposure
