The No Nonsense Guide to Blizzard Safety

Introduction

Simply put, in some ways I was a normal child while in other ways, I was anything but. It is the abnormal part of my being which accounts for why you are holding this book in your hot little hands (or reading it on your tablet). While I enjoyed watching cartoons, reading comic books, and favored science-fiction (notice a pattern?), I was also fascinated—infatuated actually—with learning about strange, unusual, and otherwise unexplained uncommon events. Whether the subject was verifying the legitimacy of alleged occurrences explored in the field of parapsychology, learning about what things exist beyond the boundaries of our planet through the area of astronomy, or—of relevance to you the reader—understanding the causes of interesting weather phenomenon like tornadoes and hurricanes.

As an adult, my love of learning had grown to encompass many other subjects, including history and politics (which I went to college to study). I had come to the awareness that I had/have an innate thirst for knowledge, about everything around me. As a result, I have more books than I will ever read, probably more than the average person. I’ve also probably had more different types of jobs than the average person. I’ve done a great deal of living. And in everything I’ve read, done, and observed, I’ve taken a great deal of awareness about life and the nature of the universe around us with me (yes, I know…a little grandiose, if not self-centered-sounding). I suppose by way of osmosis, I had also developed a love of teaching after having fallen into the vocation of substitute and adult education instructor. Because of these experiences, I have been driven to observe the world with an attempt to gain a deeper meaning of it all…and maybe bring a little bit of insight to others.

I am also driven to write about my observations –without the latent bias of emotion, beliefs, or cultural beliefs—in order to convey a semblance of truth (the teacher in me I suppose) and maybe give others a little something to think about. This is why I started blogging and writing regularly some years ago. In an indirect way, writing is also a way for me to help others to think about and offer possible solutions to grander problems posed by counterproductive policies and our own individual thinking. But it was only recently that I was motivated to combine my proclivity for (objective) observation, thirst for learning, and ultimately my writing to create a series of books based on my own intellectual curiosities and love for seeking solutions to existing problems.

This resulting compendium of interests and ideas has the (intended) benefit of imparting in those who chose to purchase and read it a level of awareness and knowledge about the an aspect of the dangers –those presented by the earth we live on—inherent in the world around us. And although there are no certain safe places to hide from real-life dangers, there are places as well as courses of actions that one can take to limit exposure to these dangers. I acknowledge this fact throughout the book(s) by using terms like relatively, comparatively, or variations of such words to convey that the suggestions offered are in, all likelihood based on research and other findings, the best options given the dangers and circumstances.

It is my hope that the information in this book (or as I call it, safety manual) will save a life, or at least prevent serious injury to those who would might be affected by a related dangerous experience.

So without further ado, I present to you, the No-Nonsense Guide to Blizzard Safety…

--Jeffery D. Sims

Blizzards

What Are They?

The term blizzard is the applied description of a particular type of severe winter weather snowstorm. A blizzard is characterized by the presence of strong sustained winds of 35 mph (56 km/h) or higher, cold temperatures, and visibility reduced by falling and/or blowing snow to less than 1/4th of a mile (less than 400 m). Additionally, the criteria of high winds and reduced visibility must be sustained for 3 consecutive hours for a snowstorm to be considered an official blizzard. However, these are but the minimum-level criteria for what constitutes one of these severe winter storms; in most blizzards, the individual conditions tend to far exceed the set minimal. The winds of most blizzards routinely howl in excess of the 35mph (56 km/h) threshold, while low visibility due to falling and blowing snow is usually of a longer duration than 3 hours. The temperatures during a blizzard can fall well below 0 degrees Fahrenheit (-17 Celsius). This is especially true in blizzard-prone regions around the world.

Blizzards, especially severe blizzards can and often do create life-threatening conditions. For example, traveling by automobile in these storms can become difficult (or even impossible) due to reduced or near-zero visibility and rapidly accumulating snow amounts—setting up the perfect conditions for calamities on the roads. Also, the strong winds and cold temperatures accompanying blizzards can combine to create dangerously unhealthy wind chills (the lowering of air temperatures caused by blowing wind as it affects the rate of heat-loss from the human body from exposed skin). What’s more, people have died attempting to remove the heavy amounts of snow after a blizzard has passed. Finally, the conditions involving a blizzard can hinder or even prevent emergency and rescue personnel from helping those who may need life-or-death assistance during one of these extreme snowstorms, resulting in possible prolonged injuries and/or death.