“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” - Herodotus, 500 B.C., in reference to the Persian courier system in his work “The Histories.”

While often cited in reference to the postal service, the phase embodies your Northern Electric Cooperative linemen. As long as it is safe to do so, your linemen are out building and maintaining infrastructure year-round, regardless of weather. Each weather event is assessed and monitored by management. While restoring power to members in an outage is a top priority, at Northern Electric, employee safety is paramount.

Linemen will fix lines in a blizzard if the bucket trucks are still able to traverse the roads and visibility is still good. In some cases, linemen are sent out with snowplows forging a path for them. The length of the storm can also impact how quickly your power can be restored.

All that to say, if your power goes out during a storm, we will fix it as soon as safely possible. Take precautions before storms arrive! Keep survival items on hand in your household and your vehicles in preparation for winter storms and pay attention to weather reports.

Warning, advisory, watch

 Make sure you know the terminology used by weather services so you can take appropriate precautions.

Warnings = Take Action

The National Weather Service issues warnings when there is a significant weather event. Each type of weather warning has its own requirements for how it will impact the public, and most advise no travel. If you must travel during a winter warning, have a winter survival kit with you. If you get stranded, stay in your vehicle and wait for help to arrive.

The most general warning is the winter storm warning. These are issued due to severe hazards, such as snow, ice, sleet, blowing snow, or a combination, that make travel difficult or impossible. Typically, no travel is advised. When possible, delay your travel plans until conditions improve.

Sleet and freezing rain are different weather events, but both will impact driving conditions. Freezing rain is when the precipitation freezes once it hits the ground, coating roads, walkways, trees, and power lines in layers of ice. Sleet is when the precipitation freezes into small pellets before hitting the ground. Sleet will also cause roads to become slippery.

Blizzard warnings are issued when falling and blowing snow, paired with strong wind create poor visibility and whiteout conditions. Travel will be extremely difficult. To be considered a blizzard warning, there must be frequent gusts of wind greater or equal to 35 mph and visibility reduced to less than a quarter mile for three hours or more. No travel is typically advised.

A quarter inch of accumulated ice will prompt an ice storm warning. During a storm, a quarter inch of ice can lead to snapped power lines and falling branches and trees. It will also make travel dangerous, as the roads will be very slick. No travel is advised.

Wind chill warnings are issued for dangerously low wind chill values. When strong winds and extremely cold air combine, it can result in frostbite and hypothermia if precautions are not taken. Wind chill is based on the rate of heat loss from exposed skin and is a measure of how cold it will feel. This will be different than the actual temperature outside. Since both cold temperatures and wind remove body heat, as wind speeds increase or temperatures drop, the body loses heat faster. Eventually, your body is unable to maintain your internal body temperature and hypothermia sets in. During a wind chill warning, avoid going outside. If you have to venture out, wear layers of warm, protective clothing, and limit time outside.

Advisories = Be Aware

Advisories are a step down from warnings. You still need to be cautious and stay informed in case the weather event strengths. Advisories mean travel may be impacted. If driving, use caution.

When wintry elements are expected, such as blowing snow, ice, sleet, snow, or a combination, but are not considered hazardous to trigger a warning, National Weather Service will issue a winter weather advisory. When traveling, expect less than ideal driving conditions and plan for possible difficulties.

Wind chill advisories are issued when strong winds and cold air generate a low wind chill, but not as low as wind chill warnings. If you are outdoors for prolonged periods, take precautions against possible frostbite and hypothermia by wearing warm, protective clothing.

Watches = Be Prepared

Watches are issue to warn of the possibility of severe weather. If the conditions are favorable for a significant weather event to form, such as heavy snow, ice storm, sleet, or blowing snow, a winter storm watch is issued. If there is potential for extremely cold air to move in and strong winds to form, a wind chill watch will be issued.

Vehicle survival kit

Even the best drivers can end up in the ditch during winter. Bad road conditions, low visibility and unprepared drivers are all factors outside your control. Keep a winter survival kit in your vehicle:

• Cellphone charger
• First aid kit
• Flares and road markers
• Snow shovel
• Ice scraper
• Spare tire
• Sand or kitty litter for traction
• Nonperishable snacks
• Bottled water
• Blankets
• Extra sets of hats, mittens, coats, and gloves
• Flashlight
• Tow rope
• Jumper cables