. . .Coming To A Town Near You! As we approach the Christmas holiday season, it's time to prepare for winter weather events here in the deep south. While we usually do not experience the blizzard conditions our northern friends endure, we do have our share of winter weather problems with the occasional snow or ice event. While snow and/or icing is usually only an inconvenience for locations equipped to handle it, southern states have little means to fight winter weather. We usually just have to sit it out and wait for it to melt! Snowfall events, while somewhat rare, are usually a welcome sight to our area. They usually give the kids and kids at heart an "extra" day off to play in the snow. Snow does little or no damage to man-made structures and trees, and usually melts away in a day or two. Ice storms, i.e. freezing rain, sleet, and snow, do cause more than just a little inconvenience. Damage to structures and trees can be significant and costly. North Louisiana has experienced quite damaging ice storms during the past two consecutive years, one of which occurred during Christmas of 1998. Ice, with its destructive weight, causes considerable damage to trees, power lines, and man-made structures. It also creates very dangerous driving conditions which result in accidents and injury. Typically ice storms last two to three days but its affects can be long lasting. Electrical power is usually affected the most during an ice event, sometimes taking as much as two weeks or longer for restoration. Typical aspects of winter weather include: extreme cold, snow, sleet, and freezing rain. In the south, we usually do not have much of a problem with extreme cold. However, Arctic outbreaks do sometimes invade the area dropping temperatures into the teens or single digits with wind chill factors some 10 to 20 degrees below zero. Should we experience conditions of that nature, it is important to prepare beforehand and take necessary precautions.
Winter Storm Watch Winter Storm Warning
Ice Events
|