Snow and ice management association

Whether you love a visit from old man winter or hate the guy, knowing how to stay safe in cold, stormy weather takes some common sense and preparation. Here are some top cold-weather health hazards you'll want to avoid, and tips on how to manage if you find yourself or someone nearby in danger: Hypothermia Hypothermia strikes when your body is exposed to cold temperatures and begins to lose heat faster than you can produce it, leading your body temperature to drop abnormally low. Normal body temperature is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. If it dips to under 95 degrees, emergency medical care is needed, the CDC says. Just last week, an elderly Georgia woman died after she slipped and fell outside her home while trying to help her disabled husband. Both lay helpless outdoors through the frigid night, and only the husband survived, probably because he was dressed in warmer clothing. Dr. Rebecca Parker, a Chicago area emergency physician and president-elect of the American College of Emergency … [Read more...] about CBS News Logo Frostbite and 5 other winter hazards to avoid

Last Updated Jan 3, 2018 7:51 AM EST SAVANNAH, Ga. -- Brutal winter weather that's brought subzero temperatures to parts of the U.S. is threatening to dump snow and ice across parts of the South that rarely see flurries, much less accumulation.The National Weather Service said a wintry mix of snow and freezing rain was expected Wednesday, mainly along the Atlantic Seaboard from Florida to North Carolina. It warned that icy roads and low visibility could make driving treacherous across the region.In Savannah, a coastal city that hasn't seen measurable snowfall since February 2010, up to 2 inches of snow and sleet were forecast. As city officials filled dump trucks with sand to spread on major streets, Mayor Eddie DeLoach urged residents to stay home and keep off the roads."The streets will be slick," DeLoach told a news conference Tuesday. "We could have some serious issues for folks who aren't used to driving in this kind of weather."CBS Savannah affiliate WTOC-TV was keeping close … [Read more...] about CBS News Logo Bitter cold could bring snow, ice to South, more misery elsewhere

The website, Weather.gov, is receiving more than five times its usual web traffic. "We're looking at unprecedented demand from this event," National Weather Service spokesman Curtis Carey told CBS News. "We're talking 15 to 20 million hits an hour on our web servers. That's far beyond anything we've seen in the past." According to internal reports from the National Weather Service, the surge in traffic and slowdown of servers impacted the weather service's ability to provide storm briefings to key decision makers. In some cases the briefings were uploaded to YouTube instead. Some offices have also had trouble receiving real-time storm reports. "It is extremely likely that people's safety or lives were jeopardized by this," said Dan Sobien, president of the National Weather Service Employees Organization. Monster Blizzard Paralyzes MidwestThe slowdown began Sunday evening and lasted into the day on Tuesday. Visitors to the website reported having trouble accessing weather forecasts and … [Read more...] about CBS News Logo National Weather Service Website Gets Snowed In