Cold Weather Disasters
Mark Keim, MD, MBA
Emergency medicine, Disaster medicine, Public health, Emergency management, Business administration, Public policy, Public speaking
Definition
Cold waves and winter storms cause cold weather disasters. Cold waves are weather phenomena distinguished by a rapid cooling of the air. Cold waves are characterized by the rate at which the temperature falls and its minimum. Winter storms are characterized by cold ambient temperatures accompanied by wind and precipitation.
?Speed of Onset and Duration
A cold wave is a rapid fall in?temperature within 24 hours. It is measured in terms of the departure from average temperatures and exacerbated by windy conditions that create a wind chill effect. Most cold waves and winter storms occur throughout one-to-several days (usually associated with a warning), but their impacts are often felt for weeks and months afterward.
?Consequences
The location of some cold wave disasters may at times appear somewhat counterintuitive. For example, cold waves have caused disaster-related deaths in places like Bangladesh, India; Mexico; and Egypt. Cold waves have also been associated with the La Ni?a effect of lowering regional temperatures.
Like cold waves, winter storms are associated with low ambient temperatures. But winter storms can also immobilize an entire region, disrupting power, water, transportation, communications, health care, and even emergency services.
领英推荐
Heavy accumulations of snow and ice can disrupt communications and power for days. This loss of power during winter commonly results in unheated homes that are more prone to water pipe ruptures, unsafe cooking and heating practices, and failure of telephone service. Winter storms such as blizzards can also disrupt air, ground, and sea transportation.
?Scale
During the past 60 years 381 cold weather disasters have been reported worldwide that caused an average of 73 deaths per incident. Of these cold weather disasters, 80% were associated with cold waves compared with winter storms.
Cold waves typically involve large geographical areas. The geographical reach of winter storms is commonly less than that of cold waves. However, some storms (e.g., blizzards) can affect a large area. These events can affect entire geographical regions (e.g., North America) and involve multiple nations.
The Winter Storm Severity Index measures the potential impacts of winter storms on a 6-point scale in terms of wind, temperature, and precipitation.
From: Keim, M.? Emergency Health: Principles and Practice. American Public Health Association Press, Washington, DC. March 2023