Take these steps to protect yourself from winter weather dangers

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Take these steps to protect yourself from winter weather dangers

2025-01-05 00:35 Last Updated At：00:40

HOUSTON (AP) — Winter weather brings various hazards that people have to contend with to keep warm and safe.

These dangers can include carbon monoxide poisoning, hypothermia and frozen pipes that can burst and make homes unlivable.

Public safety officials and experts say there are multiple ways people can prepare themselves to avoid these winter weather hazards and keep themselves safe.

The hazards are on the radar this week because millions of people in the United States are set to be hit with moderate to heavy snow from Kansas City to Washington. Cold conditions are also gripping the East Coast.

Officials say that during a winter storm, people should stay indoors. But home heating systems running for hours can increase the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning as the deadly fumes can be produced by furnaces, stoves and heaters, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Carbon monoxide can also be created when people use portable generators or run cars in their garages to stay warm or charge their phones.

Dr. Alex Harding, assistant professor of emergency medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, said that because carbon monoxide is odorless and colorless, people won’t necessarily be aware of it.

“The symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning can be really insidious. They can sneak up on patients and can range from just developing a headache or maybe a little bit of nausea to all the way to losing consciousness and seizures,” he said.

The cold weather hitting much of the East Coast has the ability to be dangerous or deadly because of unsafe exposure to elements. This week's winter storms are tracking to the south, and cold air will likely be present as far south as Georgia, said Jon Palmer, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gray, Maine.

The cold temperatures could sneak up on people in parts of the country that have largely experienced a mild winter so far.

“Really cold temperatures and winds can make temperatures feel a lot colder, and the result of that could be cold air that could eventually lead to frostbite at a much faster rate or hypothermia at a much faster rate than normal,” Palmer said.

Prolonged exposure to frigid temperatures can put people at risk to hypothermia, a condition that happens when one’s body loses heat faster than it can produce it.

“Hypothermia is definitely one of the bigger concerns, especially if we do have any kind of certainty in like power grids or electricity failing,” Harding said.

The danger of hypothermia is greater for someone who is outside, exposed to wind gusts and isn’t wearing appropriate clothing or has clothing that gets wet.

“If they have a safe place that’s warm, where they can hunker down, where they have water and food and all those kind of necessities … then that’s going to limit their exposure to those risks,” Harding said.

But vulnerable populations like people with disabilities or homeless individuals can have problems finding a warm and safe place to stay.

Frozen pipes in a home during severe winter weather is a particular problem in parts of the South because such equipment is often located outside structures. But other parts of the country also have to deal with this problem.

Jose Parra, a master plumber with Abacus Plumbing, Air Conditioning & Electrical in Houston, advises people to insulate any pipes that are exposed to the outside, turn off and drain sprinkler systems and let faucets inside a home drip during freezing temperatures so water can run through the pipes and protect them.

“A lot of what we’re fixing, I would say 80% to 90%, could have been prevented with just a little bit of work ahead of time,” Parra said.

Experts acknowledge that cold weather can be hard for electric vehicles, but they say with some planning and a little adjustment, owners should be able to travel pretty much as normal.

Inside EV batteries, lithium ions flow through a liquid electrolyte, producing electricity. But they travel more slowly through the electrolyte when it gets cold and don’t release as much energy. That cuts into the range and can deplete a battery faster.

In the short run, automakers are likely to come up with better ways to protect battery life and warm them for charging, Neil Dasgupta, associate professor of mechanical and materials science engineering at the University of Michigan, told The Associated Press earlier this year. And there are new battery chemistries in development that are more resilient in cold weather.

Tom Krisher contributed to this story.

The Latest: Snow, ice and frigid temperatures make for a dangerous winter mix

2025-01-07 00:37 Last Updated At：00:42

A major winter blast of snow, ice, wind and plunging temperatures in the U.S. stirred dangerous travel conditions from central and southern states all the way to the East Coast early Monday, prompting schools and government offices in several states to close.

Over the weekend, at least 600 motorists were stranded in Missouri, authorities said. Hundreds of car accidents were reported in Virginia, Indiana, Kansas and Kentucky.

Winter weather often causes flight delays and cancellations. While airlines can’t control the weather, they are required in the U.S. to provide refunds to customers whose flights are canceled.

Here's the latest:

Winter weather often causes flight delays and cancellations. While airlines can’t control the weather, they are required in the U.S. to provide refunds to customers whose flights are canceled.

If you no longer want to take the trip, or found another way of getting to your destination, the airline is legally required to refund your money, even if you bought a nonrefundable ticket. It doesn’t matter why the flight was canceled.

When airlines expect bad weather to create problems for flights, they often give travelers a chance to postpone their trips by a few days without having to pay a fee.

It’s better to be stuck at home or in a hotel than to be stranded in an airport terminal, so use the airline’s app or flight websites to make sure that your flight is still on before heading to the airport. Airlines usually cancel flights hours or even days before departure time.

The snowy weather in Washington forced a slight change in the travel plans for President Joe Biden.

Biden is heading to New Orleans on Monday to help console victims of the New Year’s Day truck attack.

Biden will drive to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland to board Air Force One for the flight. He typically flies directly to the base aboard the Marine One helicopter.

In Texas, the state’s independent grid operator issued a weather warning Monday for residents to be aware of cold temperatures.

Forecasts show major cities like Houston hitting below 30 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 1 degree Celsius) throughout the week. Grid conditions are expected to remain normal despite the higher demand for electricity and experts don’t foresee any major problems to occur.

President Joe Biden and his team are closely monitoring the severe winter weather across much of the U.S., the White House said in a statement Monday.

White House spokesperson Jeremy Edwards said Biden has directed senior White House Officials to be in close touch with their state and local counterparts in the affected areas. Support will be offered as needed.

“We want to encourage all Americans affected by this weather to take it seriously, continue to monitor forecasts, and heed the warnings of local officials," Edwards said.

A Kentucky State Police trooper is recovering at home after his police cruiser was rear-ended by another vehicle while he responded to a collision on Interstate 65 in southcentral Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear said Monday.

Beshear also urged residents to stay off the roads Monday as highway crews continued to clear roadways.

“This is a significant snow and ice event, so the roadways are still dangerous,” the governor said. “You might be able to see the pavement but that doesn’t mean that it’s not slick. A half an inch of ice is very hard to treat, especially when it coats everything.”

Kentucky State Police dispatchers reported more than 170 vehicle accidents and over 280 stranded motorists who were helped, he said.

The thoroughbreds residing at storied Calumet Farm in central Kentucky were riding out the winter storm in the safety of their stalls. The horses were led back to the barns Sunday afternoon before freezing rain turned pastures into a slick glaze of snow and ice.

“The ice is the worst part,” Eddie Kane, the farm manager at Calumet, said Monday. “I still haven’t turned them out because it’s still a little bit too dangerous. It’s like an ice-skating rink out there in the fields.”

The horses do fine in the snow, he said, but the ice created too much risk to keep them outside.

“Horses would rather be outside than in a stall,” Kane said. “But I just do it for my own peace of mind.”

Grain rations are bumped up for the horses amid the cold and they eat as much hay as they want, Kane said.

Marion County Public Health Department offices in Indianapolis were closed Monday due to poor weather. All clinics and walk-in services operated by the health department also are closed. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning Monday for the Indianapolis area, with snow possible, a high temperature near 28 degrees Fahrenheit and wind gusts as high as 32 mph.

An essential travel watch due to snow was declared Sunday night for Wayne County, Richmond and Centerville, all in eastern Indiana. Only essential travel, like driving to and from work or school, essential medical care, and for supplies or shelter, will be permitted on county roads under the declaration, according to the county. Parking on all county roads and their right-of-way is prohibited.

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb on Sunday activated the state’s National Guard to assist state and local responders with support during the winter storm.

In Virginia, state police said in a news release they responded to more than 200 crashes between 4 p.m. Sunday and 4 a.m. Monday, although not all were storm related.

Several accidents included injuries, while one was fatal. A 32-year-old man died around midnight in Wakefield, which is south of Richmond, after his truck ran off the road and struck a tree. Police said he was driving too fast for roadway conditions and wasn’t wearing a seat belt, while alcohol appears to be a factor.

A record 8 inches of snow fell Sunday at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, leading to dozens of flight cancellations that lingered into Monday.

A few more inches of snow was expected Monday across the Cincinnati area, where car and truck crashes Monday morning shutdown at least two major routes leading into downtown.

School closings are expected to be widespread Monday. Districts in Indiana, Virginia and Kentucky began announcing cancellations and delays on Sunday afternoon. Kentucky’s Jefferson County Public Schools canceled classes, extracurricular activities and athletics for its nearly 100,000 students.

Classes also have been cancelled in Maryland, where Gov. Wes Moore declared a state of emergency Sunday and announced the state government would be closed Monday.

“Keeping Marylanders safe is our top priority. Please stay off the roads during this storm. Prepare your home and family and charge your communications devices in case you lose power,” Moore said in a statement.