Disaster Recovery News

Winter weather worries include more than snow and freezing temperatures; winter is also one of the busiest flood seasons. Past floods have served as benchmarks and learning opportunities for communities that want to make sure their residents are ready for unexpected events, such as flash floods.

When determining if there is cause to issue a flash flood warning, the National Weather Service considers radar data, IFLOWS and automated rain gauges, soil conditions and the amount of rain that has already fallen in a particular area. When the waters rise, it merely takes a couple of feet of water to move car and other heavy objects. If there is a flash flood warning or heavy rains in your area, avoid driving through puddle of water or moving water because a flash flood can easily carry your vehicle away from the road and into a river, where most flash flood-related deaths occur in vehicles. Every year, more people die from rainwater than they do lightning, hurricanes and tornadoes.

If a flash flood warning is issued, residents in a low-lying area or near a stream, dam or river should be prepared to evacuate quickly as the fast-rising waters can trap them on a roof or worse. Read more about floods.

[photo: Adam Peiniazek]

The National Weather Service in Illinois has issued an alert stating that residents and travelers should expect to see a lot of snow fall tonight and tomorrow, December 3, 2008. The state could get as much as five-inches of snow. Travelers on the road are cautioned as there may be substantial travel-related difficulties as the streets are expected to be covered with snow and visibility will be limited. Areas north of I-88 are expected to have the heaviest impact.

This following “urgent” statement was issued by the National Weather Service for the counties of Boone, Bureau, Carroll, Cook, De Kalb, DuPage, Henderson, Henry , Jo Daviess, Kane, Lake Lee, McHenry, Mercer, Ogle, Putnam, Rock Island, Stephenson, Warren, Whiteside, and Winnebago:

“ACCUMULATING SNOW LATE TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY…AN ARCTIC FRONT WILL BE SWEEPING ACROSS THE REGION LATE TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. INCREASING MOISTURE FROM THE SOUTH WILL GENERATE A BAND OF LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOW IN THE COLDER AIR BEHIND THE FRONT. A GENERAL 3 TO 5 INCHES OF SNOW IS EXPECTED…WITH ISOLATED HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE. THE SNOW SHOULD BEGIN NORTHWEST OF A VINTON TO DUBUQUE LINE LATE TONIGHT…SPREADING OVER ALL OF THE REGION WEDNESDAY MORNING AND CONTINUING INTO THE AFTERNOON. SOME BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW CAN BE EXPECTED LATER WEDNESDAY AS THE SNOW BEGINS TO DIMINISH.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN QUAD CITIES HAS ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM TO 6 PM CST WEDNESDAY. LIGHT SNOW SHOULD BEGIN TOWARDS DAYBREAK WEDNESDAY AND BECOME HEAVIER WEDNESDAY MORNING AND DIMINISH LATE IN THE AFTERNOON. ACCUMULATIONS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES ARE EXPECTED…WITH ISOLATED HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE. NORTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 15 TO 30 MPH
AS THE SNOW DIMINISHES. THIS SHOULD CREATE SOME BLOWING AND DRIFTING OF THE SNOW.

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW WILL CAUSE TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SLICK…SNOW COVERED ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES…AND BE CAREFUL WHILE DRIVING.”

If one is planning on being out and they live in the above mentioned counties, it may be time to reconsider your Wednesday schedule and settle in with a cup of hot chocolate at home.

Find out how to prepare for a winter storm. Also learn about what one needs to do to prepare an emergency kit for one’s vehicle.

NOAA predicts this winter will be warmer for many central parts of the United States, but it is hard to say how things will look for the rest of the country. The reason for this is that temperatures over the surface of the Pacific Ocean have not given good, reliable indicators thus far.

El Nino and La Nina have not recently been seen as patterns over the Pacific Ocean. El Nino is when the temperatures over the ocean’s surface warm-up, causing there to be warmer weather in the U.S. La Nina causes a cooling over the surface of the ocean which, therefore, causes cooler temperatures on land.  Interestingly enough, NOAA scientists say the temperatures in the U.S. will be more affected by the climate patterns in the Arctic and North Atlantic oceans.

“For now, the forecast calls for a mild winter, with warmer-than-normal weather from the Rocky Mountains to the Appalachian Mountains through February…The best chance for above-normal temperatures was expected in Missouri, eastern Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, with a lower probability extending into southern Wisconsin, western Ohio and Texas.

But exactly how the weather plays out remains to be seen.”

Read the full story by Christopher Doering.

Check out NOAA’s website.

Learn about protecting your home against winter storms and how to prevent mold in your home or business during these months.

Illustration by Flora Richards-Gustafson