...INTRODUCTION TO WINTER WEATHER...PART 1...

...WINTER DAMAGE...
DID YOU KNOW THAT WINTER STORMS RESULT IN MORE TOTAL DAMAGE IN THE
STATE THAN ANY OTHER FORM OF SEVERE WEATHER?  DAMAGE TO VEHICLES AND
OTHER STRUCTURES IS COMMON.



...WINTER DEATHS AND INJURIES...
DID YOU KNOW THAT WINTER STORMS AND COLD TEMPERATURES KILL AND INJURE
MORE PEOPLE ACROSS WISCONSIN THAN OTHER WEATHER HAZARDS SUCH AS
TORNADOES...FLASH FLOODS...DAMAGING THUNDERSTORM WINDS..OR
LIGHTNING? MOST OF THESE DEATHS AND INJURIES ARE VEHICLE-RELATED AND
CONSIDERED INDIRECTLY-RELATED TO WINTER WEATHER.

WINTER WEATHER HAZARDS IN WISCONSIN RESULT IN THOUSANDS OF MOTOR
VEHICLE ACCIDENTS EACH YEAR.  SADLY...MANY OF THESE ACCIDENTS CAN BE
AVOIDED IF TRAVELERS WOULD USE COMMON SENSE...STAY ALERT...SLOW
DOWN...AND PUT THEIR HEADLIGHTS ON.

-ON AVERAGE...ABOUT 17,000 VEHICLE ACCIDENTS OCCUR EACH WINTER
SEASON IN WISCONSIN WHEN ROAD SURFACES ARE SNOW...ICE...OR
SLUSH COVERED...RESULTING IN ABOUT 75 DEATHS AND 7000
INJURIES.

-TYPICALLY...THE GREATEST NUMBER OF WEATHER-RELATED VEHICLE
ACCIDENTS OCCURS DURING THE FIRST AND SECOND SEASONAL SNOW
EVENTS...EVEN IF ONLY ONE-FORTH OR ONE-HALF INCH FALLS.
IT TAKES A COUPLE SNOW/ICE EVENTS FOR DRIVERS TO ADJUST TO
RECOMMENDED SLOWER TRAVEL SPEEDS.

-CARBON MONOXIDE IS A SILENT KILLER. FAULTY FURNACES AND SPACE
HEATERS CAN RELEASE CARBON MONOXIDE GASES THAT CAN KILL PEOPLE
IN CONFINED ROOMS. USUALLY 10 TO 15 PEOPLE DIE EACH YEAR IN
WISCONSIN DUE TO CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING.


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THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN COOPERATION WITH THE WISCONSIN
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ARE CO-SPONSORING A WINTER WEATHER AWARENESS
WEEK TO HELP YOU PREPARE FOR THE 2008-2009 WINTER SEASON.  ALL THIS
WEEK...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING
WEATHER INFORMATION AND SAFETY TIPS VIA PUBLIC INFORMATION
STATEMENTS ON THE NOAA WEATHER WIRE... AND ON THE NOAA WEATHER
RADIO...

ON MONDAY...... 1/  AN INTRODUCTION TO WINTER AWARENESS WEEK
2/  THE WIND CHILL INDEX

ON TUESDAY..... 3/  WINTER WEATHER TERMINOLOGY
..... 4/  EXTRA PSA/S FOR MEDIA TAPING/READING

ON WEDNESDAY... 5/  THE METEOROLOGY OF WINTER WEATHER IN WISCONSIN
... 6/  EXTRA PSA/S FOR MEDIA TAPING/READING

ON THURSDAY.... 7/  THE IMPACT WINTER WEATHER HAS ON US
.... 8/  ALL HAZARDS NOAA WEATHER RADIO

ON FRIDAY...... 9/  PREPARATION IN HOMES...AT WORK...ON THE FARM
...AT SCHOOL...OUTDOORS...AND WHEN TRAVELING.

...THE WIND CHILL INDEX...PART 2...

EXPOSURE TO COLD...BITING AIR FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME IS DANGEROUS
AND SUCH COLD CAN HAVE A SUBSTANTIAL IMPACT ON HUMANS.
THE WIND IS VERY EFFICIENT IN TAKING HEAT AWAY FROM THE HUMAN
BODY...AND STRONGER WINDS CAN REMOVE EVEN MORE HEAT FROM THE BODY.
WHEN THE TEMPERATURE OF EXPOSED SKIN DROPS TO THE FREEZING MARK OF
32 DEGREES....FROSTBITE SETS IN.

EXPOSED SKIN CAN SUSTAIN FROSTBITE UNDER THESE CONDITIONS...
-WITHIN 30 MINUTES WHEN WIND CHILLS ARE -18 OR COLDER...
-WITHIN 10 MINUTES WHEN WIND CHILLS ARE -32 OR COLDER...
-WITHIN 5 MINUTES WHEN WIND CHILLS ARE -48 OR COLDER...

WEAR HATS AND GLOVES OR MITTENS TO MINIMIZE THE CHANCES OF
FROSTBITE. COVER YOUR FACE WITH A HOODED COAT OR USE A SCARF.
ALTHOUGH DOCUMENTATION IS NOT COMPLETE...THERE MAY BE AT LEAST A
DOZEN TO TWO DOZEN FROSTBITE CASES IN WISCONSIN EACH WINTER.  EVEN
MORE FROSTBITE CASES CAN OCCUR IN MAJOR OUTBREAKS OF WINDY AND
BITTER COLD CONDITIONS.

THE PARTS OF THE BODY THAT USUALLY EXPERIENCE FROSTBITE ARE THE
FINGER TIPS AND TOES...AS WELL AS THE TIP OF THE NOSE AND THE EAR
LOBES.

MINIMIZING YOUR TIME OUTDOORS DURING BITTER COLD AND WINDY
SITUATIONS WILL PREVENT FROSTBITE...AND COVERING EXPOSED FLESH WILL
OBVIOUSLY HELP.

CHECK ON THE LATEST WEATHER FORECASTS BEFORE GOING OUTDOORS - DO NOT
BE CAUGHT OFF-GUARD.

TO BRING ATTENTION TO DANGEROUS PERIODS OF EXTREME COLD AND WINDY
CONDITIONS...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICES THAT SERVICE
WISCONSIN ISSUE WIND CHILL ADVISORIES AND WIND CHILL WARNINGS.

.........WIND CHILL ADVISORY AND WARNING THRESHOLDS.........
-ROUGHLY...THE NORTHERN HALF OF WISCONSIN WILL HAVE AN
ADVISORY THRESHOLD OF -25 AND A WARNING THRESHOLD OF -35.
HOWEVER...SOME OF THE NORTHWEST COUNTIES HAVE AN ADVISORY
THRESHOLD OF -25 AND A WARNING THRESHOLD OF -40.

-ROUGHLY...THE SOUTHERN HALF OF WISCONSIN WILL HAVE AN
ADVISORY THRESHOLD OF -20 AND A WARNING THRESHOLD OF -35.


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FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE WIND CHILL INDEX...AND TO FIND THE WIND
CHILL CHART...VISIT...
HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/OM/WINTER  /ALL LOWER CASE/
HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/MKX/?N=WINTER-WX-AWARENESS