During Winter Weather Awareness Week, the National Weather Service is asking Arkansans to take time now to prepare for extreme winter weather.
Winter weather can be deadly. Traffic accidents from icy roads, heart attacks from shoveling snow or ice and even carbon monoxide poisoning are all leading causes of death during the winter months. Here are some tips to be thinking about now in the event of bad weather ahead.
Have the following supplies handy at home:
- Flashlight w/extra batteries
- Non perishable food items
- First Aid supplies and extra medicine
- Extra firewood for wood burning fireplaces
- Battery operated NOAA weather radio and portable radio
Wintrize your vehicle as well. Always keep your gas tank full to minimize ice build up in the tank. Carry a survival kit in the car if you know you'll be traveling in hazardous weather.
- Flashlight & batteries
- Non perishable food items
- Drinking water
- First Aid kit
- Extra clothes and blankets
- Shovel
- Ice Scraper
- Bag of sand
- Jumper cables
Wind Chill Advisories are issued when the wind chill reaches zero. Wind Chill Warnings are issued when the wind chill drops to -15 degrees. Frostbite can occur in 30 minutes when the wind chill gets this cold. The wind chill applies to living things only. An exposed pipe in 35 degree weather will remain at 35 degrees no matter what the wind chill is.
The official outlook issued by the National Weather Service for the upcoming winter indicates that temperatures should trend toward being below normal over the southeastern half of the state. Precipitation should trend toward being below normal over the eastern half of the state. With El Nino in place, severe weather events should be minimal.
No matter what the temperature outlook indicates, variability can be expected in the temperature patterns during the winter. There are usually some periods of noticeably cold weather interspersed with milder periods.
Likewise, seasonal outlooks cannot be specific regarding large ice or snow storms. However, the temperature and precipitation trends expected this winter suggest that there will be at least a few bouts of wintry forms of precipitation during the winter.