An ice storm causes very dangerous road conditions.
An ice storm occurs when freezing rain or hail covers a region. Not only are roads frozen, but also trees, bushes, and transmission lines. Due to the weight of the ice, this type of storm can cause tremendous damage to an area, knocking down trees and power lines. Some previous ice storms caused farmers to lose entire crops or lose power for many days.
Ice storms can cause excessive damage to an area.
An ice storm typically occurs when the ground temperature is below 32 F (0 C). Above ground, the temperature is close to zero. These storms are common in areas where you don’t see much snow, because they don’t require the same degree of cold that snow would produce.
However, an ice storm can also affect areas that receive snow annually. In 1998, a storm hit upstate New York and parts of eastern Canada. It was immensely destructive, damaging numerous maple trees in Canada, used for the maple sugar industry. It also caused the loss of energy of many people, about three million. Many have not regained their energy for up to six weeks.
Ice storms can create extreme dangers for drivers.
This ice storm and others are more challenging than blizzards because they can destroy a lot with a relatively small amount of ice. Generally, to be defined as an ice storm, a quarter inch of ice must fall. A quarter inch of snow, on the other hand, tends to be much easier to handle, even in regions where snow is rare.
The roads become dangerous to drive on because they are frozen. People lose energy, crops and trees can be cut down. People can and have died due to limited access to driving and therefore medical facilities, or because they may not have inadequate heating systems in their homes or emergency generators.
Ice can cover trees and other objects during an ice storm.
The 1998 storm in New York and Canada caused about 3 million US dollars (USD) in damage. The loss of work days and the stoppage of business can be incalculable. Other storms resulted in even greater financial damage. Parts of Kansas were declared a disaster area by the President of the United States after it was hit by an ice storm in 2005. At least $39 million in damage is estimated to have occurred.