Ignoring Winter’s Dangers Can Be Deadly

Snow began to gently fall as we filled up our gas tank in Alexandria with plans to head home 50 miles away. As the tank filled, the snowfall became heavier.
A few minutes later, those gently falling flakes began to be swirled around as the wind picked up. Knowing the sun would set in just over an hour, we anxiously hoped the wind would ease and the snowfall lighten. This winter storm had no plans for holding back.
Five minutes later the snow was coming at us sideways as the winds began to howl. Three miles south of Alexandria we couldn’t see the road. Cars were pulling over on the side or at a dead stop on the highway. We were able to turn around, “feel” our way back on the road to Alexandria, and get a hotel room.
Others caught by the storm would end up sleeping on cots in the hallways, or in chairs in the lobby. Some people would spend a frigid night in their vehicles or be rescued by emergency services the county provided.
Winter storms can be deadly, but too many people are losing respect for them. Often the blinding snowstorm that strands travelers can be followed by rapidly falling temperatures as frigid Arctic air plunges southward. Those stranded in their vehicles can be trapped for hours and face the threat of hypothermia, and death.
But too many assume their vehicle will make it through the snow. They assume they can just call for help on their cellphone. They assume they will get rescued before they run out of gas and heat. They assume the temperature won’t fall to 5 below with wind chill of a minus 40 degrees. All these assumptions will one day lead to death or serious frostbite for many people who get caught in a blizzard they can’t escape.

A Loss of Common Sense
Why reach this conclusion? It’s not just that people are making potentially fatal choices to travel based on their assumptions, it’s also because people are increasingly dressing as if it is spring rather than winter.
“Persons are urged to stay indoors until conditions improve. If you must go outside, dress in layers. Several layers of clothes will keep you warmer than a single heavy coat,” the National Weather Service (NWS)  warned. “Cover exposed skin to reduce your risk of frostbite or hypothermia. Gloves, a scarf, and a hat will keep you from losing your body heat.”
In these stark terms, the threat the Arctic cold snap presented to the people of the area was spelled out by the NWS before the cold blast arrived Jan. 20. It issued a rare Extreme Cold Warning as the Arctic air plunged south.
“Dangerously cold wind chills as low as 41 below zero could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes,” the NWS warned as the winter Artic cold front approached. The high Jan. 20 was 13 below zero; the low 24 below. The wind chill in western Minnesota reached 42 below. Seventeen of the first 27 days of January saw lows below zero.
During the bitter cold stretch, we watched a child huddle against the side of a downtown building trying to escape from the biting wind chill as he walked home from school. We saw people dressed in shorts and light jackets shopping in grocery stores with the temperature below zero. We saw a child walking out of a high school last week in shorts.
Adults set the example that children follow. If wearing shorts on the sidelines of a football game when its 30 degrees with a cold wind blowing makes you look cool, children are going to want to copy your example.
Even in this modern age, with our cellphones and early weather warnings, people still die during blizzards and bitterly cold spells from prolonged exposure to cold. People still get frostbite that can be disfiguring. In western New York in 2022, a five-day long blizzard killed 47 people in the Buffalo area. One man left for the grocery store and didn’t make it back. A woman died in her car when she became stranded, her cell phone ran out of power, and no one could reach her.
Those who get trapped by a storm put at risk the lives of the highway crews, law enforcements officers, or EMS staff that must respond. It isn’t just the weather that makes these situations dangerous, it is the poor visibility that can result in someone crashing into the vehicles and people already stuck in the snow.

Lost Respect for Winter
We’ve lost a lot of respect for the intensity and deadliness winter storms can bring. There is a long list of deadline winter storms that struck the state in 1984.
The blizzard that struck Minnesota Feb. 4, 1984, came with winds that approached 80 mph. The world became a white wall as dense as any thick fog. You couldn’t see the hood of your car. Thirteen storm deaths were reported in Minnesota, including six members of one family who died after being trapped in a stalled car.
School hand books will tell parents that their children are expected to wear the proper winter weather gear - coats, boots, snow pants, gloves, and hats, when the weather requires it. Schools can also have donated winter clothing on hand if a child comes underdressed for a bitterly cold day.
But teachers and school administrators fight a constant battle with some kids, and their parents, in convincing them to dress for the weather. Law enforcement and human services can get involved if parents if children are not properly dressed to prevent hypothermia or frostbite.
It has warmed up nicely, but more bitterly cold temperatures are likely ahead. Dress warmly and set a good example for your children – teach them to respect the dangers of a Minnesota winter.