Winter Guide for NDSU

Senators Joni Wiebesick and Brian Amann

Contents:
Weather to Expect in Fargo o Weather Terms

Winter Wear/Gear Health Hazards in Winter Driving in Winter o o o o How to Get a Car Out of Snow If Stranded in a Car Winter Survival Kit Starting a Cold Car

Walking on Campus o o Tunnels and Buildings You Can Use to Keep Warm Walking With Ice on the Ground

Weather to Expect in Fargo Fargo has been awarded Americas Toughest Weather City for good reason. Historically winter will last from midNovember to late-March. The heaviest snow-fall will be January and December; averaging around 9 and 7 inches each. There is usually a total of 40 inches annual snowfall in Fargo. Temperatures will be coldest in January with average temperature of 3.2 degrees; dipping down to -27 and up to 37 degrees F. Below is a chart of average monthly temperatures in Fargo:

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/fgf/?n=fargoclimate

One thing to be wary of in Fargo is the wind chill, which is what the temperature feels like when skin is exposed to wind. Wind chill is dangerous for North Dakotans because ND is largely flat which allows a lot of brutal wind. It is calculated with the temperature without wind and the miles per hour of the wind. Below is a table describing wind chill:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wind_chill.png Weather Terms There are many different terms that weather correspondents will use in reporting the weather. There is a comprehensive list at http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories/s794c.htm which is the National Weather Services website. But most importantly the difference between a Watch and a Warning is that a Watch is the possibility of something occurring and a Warning is when something is occurring or is about to happen.

Winter Gear/Wear Since the weather is so cold it is important to stay warm and because there is so much ice on the ground, it is important to stay safe. This means no heels for girls. And in general, functional clothing which doesnt mean it cant be fashionable too. Youll need gloves, hats, scarves, a good winter coat, warm socks, boots, and something to protect your legs. This leg protection can be something underneath your jeans like long johns, or something over your jeans like snow pants. Coats or vests with down feathers are great because down insulates heat well without needed a lot of extra padding. Another good tip for winter gear is dressing in layers! That way you can stay warm in the winter but remove layers when in class or when you get warm. Its good to have around 2 or 3 layers. A sweater, vest, or long sleeved shirt underneath your coat is best. A final tip for winter gear is hand and feet warmers. These are great little inventions that you can put in your mittens or boots. They are chemically activated but totally safe. They can be found here http://www.warmers.com or at any major store like Walmart or Target. Below are some pictures of what to wear and what not to wear in winter. There are also some helpful links to good places to get winter gear. http://www.columbia.com/ http://www.thenorthface.com/en_US/ http://www.mountainhardwear.com/ http://www.llbean.com/
Listed below are some stores that have winter gear: Macys [$90+] Eddie Bauer [$130+] Walmart [$30+] Scheels [$150+]

Those are just a few brands that are great for winter wear. However there are a ton of other brands out there.
You can also go to the Equity and Diversity building, they have a Coat Closet where you can borrow coats.

Do This:

Not This:

Do:

Dont:

Your boots shouldnt be too tight, you should be able to move your toes easily and be able to wear thicker socks in them. These socks should be a warm thick cotton or wool.

Do:

Dont:

Health Hazards in Winter There are many hazards to your health in winter but almost all can be avoided. These hazards include Hypothermia, bad driving conditions, ice on the sidewalk or road and frostbite. Hypothermia happens when your bodys core temperature drops below 95.0 F (35.0 C). There are 3 different stages of Hypothermia: mild, moderate and severe. There are several key symptoms of Hypothermia including lack of coordination, slurred speech, shivering, difficulty thinking, low energy, shallow breath and a weak pulse. These symptoms are gradual, so you wont even realize you are experiencing it. Hypothermia can be avoided by staying warm, as long as your core temperature is above 95.0 F (35.0 C), you will be fine, so stay warm! Driving conditions, icy roads and ice-covered sidewalks are also hazards to your health; however, they will be discussed later in this guide. The other main hazard is frostbite. Frostbite occurs when your skin is exposed to very cold temperatures, this can happen quickly or over a large amount of time, the most likely places to get frost bite are your hands, especially your fingers, feet, nose and ears. Symptoms will include the following: skin will look white or greyyellow, skin is cold and has a waxy feel, skin burns, itches or feels numb, or skin is blistering. Frostbite can be very dangerous and can result in a loss of the infected limb. The best way to avoid frostbite is to stay warm! Keep your skin covered so that they wont be exposed to the air, that means texting in buildings and not when youre walking outside. Driving in Winter Drive under and not over the speed limit! Keep larger distance between your car and other cars. Usually around 4 seconds. Keep gas tank at least half full. Recommended that its full at all times. Allow more time to get to your destination. Usually at least 10 minutes extra. Dont turn corners too sharply because the ice and snow on the road can make you skid into a different lane. Even into oncoming traffic. Most cars have anti-lock brakes, but if the vehicle doesnt have them or they went out youll need to manually pump the brakes instead of just slamming on the brakes. Pumping the brake will stop a vehicle quickly.

There is black ice or glare ice on the road and sidewalks at times. This ice is a thin coat on the road and is almost invisible. It causes many accidents. A great website explaining how to avoid skidding on ice is the following http://www.autotrader.co.uk/EDITORIAL/CARS/FEATURES/37863.html When parking, the lines separating parking are not visible under the snow, so attempt to align with other cars when parking unless you can see the lines. Look at road conditions and road closures before you begin to travel. This can be seen on news channels, by calling 511 or going onto http://www.dot.nd.gov/travel-info-v2/ which is the travel map for ND. Always have your phone charged and with you when traveling. Turn on your lights so that your vehicle is more visible. Even during the day. Be cautious when driving behind or by a snowplow. They can stop abruptly or swerve into another lane accidently. Do not use cruise control on icy or wet roads. How to Get Car Out of Snow if Stuck o o o o o o o o First of all dont panic! Get out and make sure the tailpipe is clear of snow. Make sure your car is in 4 wheel drive if you have this feature. Attempt to drive forward slowly, if you cannot try to go in reverse. If neither works turn the steering wheel and drive in a different direction. If that doesnt work dig out the snow and ice around your car. Figure out which wheel or wheels are slipping and put down sand, old carpet or kitty litter from the car kit youll be told about later in the guide. Gently rock your car to gain traction. If you rock it too much you can destroy your transmission. This is done by accelerating forward until your wheels spin or slip then going reverse and repeating this until you gain traction. If possible get a passenger or passerby to push your car while you slowly accelerate with the wheels that arent slipping. Once unstuck be careful to brake and steer carefully to ensure you dont get stuck again. If all else fails call a tow truck.

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If Stranded in a Car o o o o o o o o o o o o Stay with the car! If there is a clearly visible building with lights on within sight of the car, then you can venture there. But if you have already called for help, stay in the car! Ensure that the tailpipe is clear and run the engine only around 15 minutes every hour, unless the temperature is extremely cold then it may be necessary to keep the engine running. Bundle up with coats, sweaters, blankets and any other passengers. Check your winter kit and arrange them so that you know when to use them. Ensure that everything you need is in the car and not the trunk! If possible make a call to someone to pick you up or tell them your location. Ensure car is facing the wind. Do NOT fall asleep!! Keep your feet off the ground if there is no heat there. Remain calm! Tie something brightly colored onto the antenna to alert rescuers of your location. Dont eat melted snow; itll lower your body temperature.

Move your body to ensure circulation and keep you warm.

Winter Survival Kit o o o o This is a very important thing to keep in your car! During winter its great to keep it in the car and not in the trunk. There are car kits that you can buy at most stores such as target or you can make your own. Here are some things to put in if you make your own kit: Blankets Extra winter socks (wool or thick cotton). Extra winter gloves Winter boots if youre not wearing them already. At least 1 flashlight (either crank or have extra batteries in the kit). Pocket knife or a Swiss army knife. A shovel (folding one or a larger one). Candles Matches (not a lighter because lighter fluid can freeze). Energy bars or other energy filled food (something easy to open) Water bottles filled or full (they will freeze and will break the container if filled fully) Jumper cables. Extra hand and feet warmers. If there is no Swiss army knife, have basic tools like a screw driver or pliers. If youre camping or driving a very large distance, you can have a small butane stove with a small cooking pot. That way you can boil water or cook some kind of canned food. Dont be scared guys, it may seem like a lot but its better to be safe than sorry. This kit could save your life if youre stranded.

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Starting a Cold Car o In order to avoid a possible stalled car or dead battery, it is good to add a heating block to your car. o This allows you to plug your car into an outlet and it will keep your engine warm, thus allowing you to start your car with no problem. o If the weather is too cold or your car has sat outside for a long time, it is possible that you will need to use jumper cables to start your car. o Remember not to try to start your car too much if its stalling. Its bad for the car, so take breaks In between attempts to start your car. o Here is a great link on how to start a cold car! http://www.wikihow.com/Start-a-Car-in-FreezingCold-Winter-Weather.

Walking on Campus Tunnels and Buildings You Can Use to Keep Warm There is a Skyway from Morrill Hall to Hultz Hall and from Hultz to both the IACC and Dunbar. South Engineering is a great building thats placed near the Union and the Library. You can cut through it to get to the Union, the Library and anything near them. Minard is connected to the Music Education Building. The MATBUS its a great way to stay warm, its easy to use, its free and it goes to our downtown campus! If youre waiting for the bus, you can wait in a nearby building to keep warm. The engineering buildings: Dolve, Construction Management, the Civil & Industrial Engineering and the Engineering Quonset building are all connected. The Union is connected via a tunnel to the Family Life Center building.

Walking With Ice on the Ground Its very icy so most likely youre going to fall or slip at least once. So when you do fall, dont try to break the fall with your hand. This can cause injuries to your wrist! Try to fall onto your butt. Wear a backpack so that your head and back are protected when you fall. To avoid falling you can buy slip resistant shoe grips. These can be found at major store like Target or http://winterwalking.com/html/products.htm Just be aware that there is ice on the ground and be careful when walking