11 Facts About Ice Storms

1. Ice storms, also referred to as glaze storms, are more common in the valleys and foothills.
2. Ice accumulates when super-cold rain freezes on contact with surfaces, such as tree branches, that are below the freezing point.
3. Throughout the United States, ice storms occur most often during the months of December and January and near sunrise, usually the coldest time of the day.
4. Ice storms have the bizarre effect of entombing everything in the landscape with a glaze of ice so heavy that it can split trees in half and turn roads and pavements into lethal sheets of smooth, thick ice.
5. Branches or even whole trees may break from the weight of ice. Falling branches can block roads, tear down power and telephone lines, and cause other damage.
6. The weight of the ice itself can easily snap power lines and also break and bring down power/utility poles, leaving people without power for anywhere from several days to a month.
7. According to most meteorologists, just one quarter of an inch of ice accumulation can add about 500 pounds of weight per line span. Damage from ice storms is highly capable of shutting down entire metropolitan areas.
8. Driving becomes extremely hazardous as the ice causes vehicles to skid out of control, which can cause devastating car crashes as well as pile-ups.
9. Pedestrians are severely affected as sidewalks become slippery, causing people to slip and fall, and outside stairs can become an extreme injury hazard.
10. One of the damaging and costly ice storms in recent history struck North America in January of 1998. Phone and power lines collapsed, electricity pylons buckled, and 4 million people were left without power. Falling ice or fires set off by collapsing electrical cables killed 25 people, and the damage cost around $1 billion.
11. The major ice storm that struck the Northeastern U.S. in December 2008 left 1.25 million homes and businesses without power. In what was described as the worst storm in the last ten years, a state of emergency has been declared in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and parts of Maine.

Sources:

National Weather Service

Times Online

CNN