Ice Storm Impacts and Damage

With the snowstorm that recently hit Eau Claire, WI, I ran into an old article I read on weather.com that talked about ice storm impacts and damage.  Though many of us know the implications of such storms (you know, living in Wisconsin and all), looking over a few of the effects can help us mitigate for safe driving and traveling purposes when the snow we received this past weekend turns to ice.

We often hear severe weather (hurricanes, tsunamis, etc.) and how vulnerable the areas experiencing such hazards can be.  Living in Wisconsin, we often forget that though we are considered to be in a "safe place" (away from hurricanes, tsunamis, occasionally tornadoes), other "smaller" environmental hazards are overlooked.  Ice storms can be one of the most dangerous and destructive winter weather events.  Ice accumulations caused by freezing rain can result in a travel nightmare.  On top of that, strong winds and heavier amounts of ice can damage trees and powerlines.  Here are some ice storm facts provided by weather.com that I found interesting:

• Ice can increase the weight of branches by 30 times.
• A 1/2" accumulation on power lines can add 500 pounds of extra weight.
• An ice storm in 2009 centered from northern Arkansas to the Ohio Valley knocked out power to 1.3 million.
• In 1998, an ice storm in northern New York and northern New England damaged millions of trees and caused $1.4 billion in damage. Accumulations were as much as three inches thick!

By using the scale of damage caused, ice storms are categorized into three types:

Nuisance Ice Storm:
- a nuisance event is usually one of 1/4" of ice or less
- lighter accumulations, but still considered dangerous for traveling

Disruptive Ice Storm:
- a disruptive ice storm is typically one of 1/4" to 1/2" of ice accumulation
- this amount of ice starts to damage trees and power lines

Crippling Ice Storm:
- widespread accumulations of over 1/2"
- possibility of severe tree damage and power outages lasting for days
- the most devastating storms contain ice accumulations of an inch or more

Looking at these facts and different ice storms gives us an understanding of the different levels of damage that they cause.  It can be difficult to mitigate for such events because living in Wisconsin is a risk in itself to be vulnerable to ice storms.  However, I am glad that the city does take some part in keeping its residents a little safer by salting the roads, forecasting the possibility of such storms, and etc.