During a power outage, visibility is extremely limited, making travel very dangerous.
A blackout is a situation where people lose orientation and direction in the event of snow. There are several types of whitening and all of them can be potentially dangerous. Because people have difficulty seeing and navigating during a blackout period, it is quite possible to get lost even within a few feet of safety, and blackouts can be especially dangerous for drivers and pilots.
Antarctica often experiences a kind of blackout.
Classically, a power outage is caused by a blizzard. A blizzard is an extremely strong snowstorm, and when the snow falls thick and fast, it can form a solid curtain that is impossible to see. Blizzards are also often accompanied by strong winds, which can throw people off track and further confuse them. In light blizzard conditions, it’s usually possible to see vague outlines of things like structures, but in a total blackout it’s impossible to tell the difference between the sky and the ground, let alone see anything.
During a normal snowfall, fade conditions can sometimes occur, though usually briefly. This can still be dangerous for people trapped outdoors, as people can get lost in the murky conditions and make the wrong decisions. In regions where blackout conditions are common, some people use navigational aids, such as ropes between houses and barns, to reduce the risk of becoming disoriented and lost.
Another type of fading can occur in areas with very clear air and fresh snow. When the sky is cloudy in these regions, it diffuses light, which can turn the entire environment white, erasing all signs of shadows and definition that could be used for navigation. This type of bleaching is very common in Antarctica, where the sky is very clear, making it impossible to distinguish the horizon, assess distances or see signs of danger. You may also hear this type of fading called “flat light,” referring to the fact that the world looks very flat.
Getting stuck in blackout conditions is undesirable and most people take steps to avoid them. The risk of whiteout conditions is one of the reasons people are encouraged to avoid driving when a snow attack is expected, and this explains why airports are often closed in snowy regions during the winter season, as that airport staff consider delays to be better than the risk of snow. miss a plane