Advanced warnings helped businesses prepare for February ice storms

Discover how AccuWeather's forecasts and early warnings provided businesses with more advance notice of ice storms, better preparing them for power outages.

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AccuWeather's forecasts and warnings provided clients with more advance notice of ice storms that helped them better prepare for power outages.

AccuWeather clients were alerted to the possibility of the first ice storm several days prior with our Storm Potential Notice highlighting specific regions that would be affected by accumulating ice.

Most Advance Notice

The middle part of February 2021 featured multiple rounds of winter weather for much of the country, with Virginia and parts of the Carolinas experiencing several days of freezing rain. Tree and power line damage from back-to-back ice storms caused a prolonged period of power outages, which AccuWeather highlighted ahead of time across products sent to clients. 

The potential for power outages was specifically called out in the accompanying text: “Disruptions to logistical operations are expected, with road and interstate closures and travel delays in areas of heavy ice and snow, and downed trees and localized power outages in areas of heavy icing."

Ice amounts of 0.25-0.50 inches were observed across parts of North Carolina into Virginia, leaving 90-100% of the population in several counties without power. 

These power outages expanded and compounded as additional storms produced freezing rain across the region over the following week. 

Compounding Events

Over the course of the following week, freezing rain impacted a significant portion of the country from the Southern Plains into the mid-Atlantic. AccuWeather clients received consistent, comprehensive updates from our meteorologists, including start and end times of accumulating ice, amounts of ice, and specifically pinpointed the area most at risk for power outages.

The storm’s forecast included an area of 0.50-1.0 inches of ice accumulation, including locations still recovering from previous ice storms. With Duke Energy still working to restore power to several thousand customers, the next round of ice was likely to hinder recovery operations while further damaging power lines. 

Helping You Plan

While preventing power outages may not be possible, planning for them is possible and necessary. With the advance notice and precision forecasting of these ice storms, AccuWeather For Business clients ensured their business continuity plans accounted for widespread and extended power outages, particularly those with assets located in the area outlined by the Widespread Power Outage Risk product. 

When weather challenges your team to make rapid decisions, depend on SkyGuard® forecasts and warnings to provide you the information necessary to make the best decisions that protect your people and avoid costly shutdowns.

Contact us today to learn how you can access the most accurate forecasts and earlier warnings so you can make the best weather-impacted decisions every time.

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