# 5273
It’s being billed as a practically a Snowpocalypse by weather forecasters, and referenced on twitter with the humorous hashtag #snOMG!.
But whatever you call it, conditions are setting up for what may turn out to be a record breaking blizzard for large parts of the mid-west and the northeastern United States over the next 72 hours.
Here is a graphic from the Kansas City, Mo National Weather Service depicting local conditions expected tomorrow.
By Wednesday, snowfalls in excess of 18 inches are possible in some places.
As bad as heavy snow can be, anyone who has lived through one will vouch for the fact that heavy icing can be much, much worse.
Power lines, even entire power poles, can snap under the heavy load of ice. And in some places it may take days or even weeks to restore electrical service.
And heavy icing may be on the way.
Here is the HPC Experimental Probabilistic Winter Precipitation Guidance for .5 inches of ice or more over the next 48 hours.
And here is the Wednesday-Thurs snow > 12 inches forecast.
Craig Fugate, director of FEMA, is tweeting preparedness information practically every hour (follow him at @CraigatFema and @FEMA).
A few recent tweets include:
NWS mobile weather page is fast and works good on smart phones http://mobile.weather.gov/ #snomg #icestorm #blizzard #snow #winter #wx
NWS Kansas City, MO: Winter Wx Briefing http://go.usa.gov/YRB "a crippling #snow storm expected to hit the region" #snomg www.ready.gov
@allhazardsblog SPC http://www.spc.noaa.gov/ and HPC http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/ are working better than weather.gov checking with NWS
"@RCham220: Don't forget your hydrants." when you start to dig out, help out your local fire department by clearing around fire hydrants.
#snomg #icestorm #blizzard #winter #storm #freeze #sleet #cold #wx don't forget to check on your neighbours www.ready.gov www/listo.gov
Meanwhile, the American Red Cross has issued this statement:
American Red Cross Urges Preparedness As Damaging Winter Storm Threatens About 100 Million People
Blood donors needed as winter weather continues to affect supply
National Headquarters
2025 E Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20006
www.redcross.orgContact: Public Affairs Desk
FOR MEDIA ONLY
media@usa.redcross.org
Phone: (202) 303-5551WASHINGTON, Monday, January 31, 2011 — The American Red Cross is preparing to respond to the destructive winter storm that is bearing down on the country from just east of the Rocky Mountains to the coast of New England. The storm could impact a third of the population of the United States, and it threatens to bring blizzard conditions and heavy ice and snow.
Winter storm safety checklist [PDF]
This latest winter blast could further impact the Red Cross blood supply which has already seen more than 18,000 expected blood donations go uncollected over the last several weeks due to bad winter weather. People are asked to make an appointment to give blood by calling 1-800-RED CROSS or visiting www.redcrossblood.org. Those who live in the path of the storm are asked to schedule a donation time when it is safe to travel. All blood types are needed, but there is a special need for donors with O-Negative, A-Negative and B-Negative blood.
But if you live in the path of this massive blizzard, I’m sure you aren’t particularly worried.
After all, you’re already prepared to go several days, or longer, in sub-freezing temperatures without power.
Right?
The governor of Oklahoma has declared a state of emergency for all 77 counties, and others states will likely follow.
State and local officials are taking this storm very seriously, and so should the residents in its path.
To be on the safe side, today would be an excellent day to review your family’s cold weather emergency plans, and make any last minute adjustments.
And to help you along, you may want to review some of the winter preparedness information I’ve posted recently in the following blogs:
Hypothermia, Frostbite & The Big Chill
Cold Weather Car Bag
Preparedness: How To Chill When It’s Cold Outside
