Articles · Weather
Everything about Winter Storm
23 articles across NWS
Heavy snow, blowing snow, and hard cold that close roads, strain home heating, and bring down power lines.
Disaster History
Case studies and disaster history
The 1998 North American Ice Storm: Five Days of Rain, 1,000 Towers, One Month of Darkness
From January 4–10, 1998, five consecutive days of freezing rain fell on eastern Ontario and southern Quebec. 100mm of ice accumulated. More than 1,000 steel transmission towers collapsed in chain reac
The 2007 Oklahoma Ice Storm: When Trees Become Infrastructure Weapons
December 9–11, 2007. One inch of ice fell across Oklahoma. Every tree became a weapon. 641,000 customers lost power in the worst outage in Oklahoma history. A State of Emergency was declared for all 7
The 2008 New England Ice Storm: The Storm No One Expected to Be That Bad
On December 11–12, 2008, an ice storm struck New England. In New Hampshire, 422,000 homes lost power, the worst outage in state history. Power was not fully restored until December 24, two full week
The 2009 Kentucky Ice Storm: Carbon Monoxide Killed More People Than the Ice Did
January 26–28, 2009. The biggest ice storm in Kentucky history. 65 deaths across the region. Most were not from the ice itself, they were from carbon monoxide poisoning by generators and kerosene hea
Winter Storm in America, Disaster History
How winter storms form, where they strike hardest, and what major blizzards and ice storms have taught us about cold-weather preparedness. Science, history, and practical guidance.
Winter Storm Uri (2021): How Texas's Isolated Power Grid Failed 4.5 Million Households
Winter Storm Uri knocked out power to 4.5 million Texas homes. The ERCOT grid came within 4 minutes and 37 seconds of total collapse. 246 people died from hypothermia and carbon monoxide poisoning. Te
Getting Started
What to do right now
Ice Storm: What to Do Right Now
What to do during an ice storm: heating safely without carbon monoxide, thawing pipes without open flame, downed power lines, and why bridges freeze first. Immediate action during freezing rain and ice accumulation.
Winter Storm: What to Do Right Now
What to do in a dangerous winter storm: staying warm without carbon monoxide risk, surviving a stranded vehicle, and the hypothermia and frostbite signs that mean call 911. Immediate action during a blizzard or winter storm.
Preparedness
Preparedness and self-reliance
Cooling, Warming and Cleaner Air Sites
How a house of worship can run a daytime cooling, warming, cleaner air or charging site: what to measure first, when to call 911 and when to close for the day.
Heating, Fuel, and Generator Safety
Safe operation of generators, space heaters, wood stoves, and fuel storage. Carbon monoxide prevention, ventilation rules, and the safety practices that prevent the leading causes of post-disaster death.
Wellness Checks That Protect Privacy
Set up a voluntary check-in call program for your faith community: what to promise, what to record, the caller script and when a volunteer calls 911 first.
Generator and Backup Power Safety
Portable generator carbon monoxide safety: the 20-foot placement rule, fuel storage, transfer switches, and the mistakes that kill about 100 people every year.
Hazard-Specific Planning
Planning for the specific hazards that threaten your area. What distinguishes each hazard type, unique preparations, watch versus warning, and pre-decided action triggers.
Best Fuel Stabilizers for Generator Storage (2026)
Best Liquid Paraffin Emergency Candles (2026)
Best Solar Power Banks for Emergency Preparedness (2026)
Freeze Protection for Home Water Systems
How to protect pipes, stored water, well pumps, and rain barrels from freezing. A fall winterization checklist and what to do when a pipe freezes anyway.
New Hampshire Local Risk Guide: Ice Storms, Floods, Outages and Household Readiness
Household disruption guide for New Hampshire by region: ice storm and windstorm outages in forested service areas, flash and river flooding in valley towns, Seacoast coastal flooding, drought and dry private wells, extreme cold, and heating systems that need electricity. Covers NWS Gray, NH Alerts, town-level emergency management, cascading failures, seasonal calendar, and a ten-action checklist.
Texas Freeze 2021: How an Isolated Grid Failed 4.5 Million Homes
A case study of Winter Storm Uri and the 2021 Texas power crisis: how an isolated grid, insufficient winterization, and cascading infrastructure failure left millions without heat, water, or communication.
The Ice Storm Video Everyone Shared, and the Part That Matters
The January 2026 Nashville ice storm video and the lesson behind it: check-ins depend on relationships built before the storm. How to build a two-name winter check-in list with neighbors.
The Texas Grid Collapse: Winter Storm Uri, 2021, Infrastructure, New World Survival
How Winter Storm Uri pushed the Texas grid to the edge of total collapse in February 2021. The timeline, the root causes identified by FERC and NERC, the human cost, and the reforms that followed.
Winter Power Outage Kit: Stay Warm, Safe, and Fed When the Heat Goes Off
A winter power outage kit built around heating, carbon monoxide safety, pipe protection, lighting, and three days of no-cook food. Real products, honest prices, and every safety rule sourced from CPSC
Winter Storm Preparedness, Power Outage, Heat & Pipes
Practical winter storm preparation: single-room heating, pipe drip protocol, CO detector requirements, food safety during outages, and ice driving decisions.