Western New York was reminded again this week that winter weather can have deadly consequences.
But when the snow swirls, the winds howl and the temperature drops, patience and common sense can be a formidable defense.
“If you’re not normally out there shoveling and snowblowing, please don’t do it,” is one way Buffalo Fire Commissioner William Renaldo recommended during a Wednesday news conference, in the midst of a second powerful storm this week.
Tissue-numbing temperatures and wind chill readings also pose a threat in storms like the pair this week.
“Anyone who is outside in frigid temperatures for more than about 15 minutes is at high risk of developing hypothermia and frostbite,” said David Holmes, a wilderness medicine expert and director of global health education in the University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
“Most of our body is made up of water,” Holmes said, “and the water inside our skin cells can freeze, which causes frostbite and may result in permanent tissue damage. Getting frostbite depends on the temperature and wind chill factor. For instance, if it’s zero degrees Fahrenheit and the wind is 15 mph, then frostbite can set in after only 30 minutes of cold exposure.”
Winter storms are no stranger to Western New Yorkers who have seen many, including the 36-hour December 2022 blizzard that struck Metro Buffalo last Christmas weekend and claimed the lives of 47 people.
Three others died outdoors during the storm earlier this week.
A 64-year-old man died Monday while shoveling snow, Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz said Wednesday during a news conference. A…
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