Lessons Learned: An Investigation into Responses to the Pre-Christmas 2022 Severe Winter Storm

Date and Time: Tuesday, May 9, 2023: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Location: Keck 100

 

Lead Presenter:  Wilfrid Nixon, President
Affiliation:  Professional Snowfighters Association
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Lead Presenter Biography

Dr. Wilfrid Nixon is the President of the Professional Snowfighters Association, a North American based non-profit trade association dedicated to creating a community of good practice for all who are involved in the activities of winter maintenance.

Wilf started his research in winter highway maintenance in the late 1980’s working initially on ways of improving snow plow performance. He has conducted research for a number of federal and state agencies, and has covered topics relating to plow and cutting edge performance, optimal chemical usage, snow fence design, plow and truck instrumentation, optimal uses of novel technologies in winter maintenance, and information management and decision making in winter maintenance. He has written over 100 papers and reports on his research, and has made numerous presentations around the world. Wilf was recognized by APWA (the American Public Works Association) in 2021 as one of their Top Ten Public Works Leaders of the Year. 

Co-Authors

R. Mark DeVries, Business Applications Manager, Vaisala Inc.; Benjamin W. Hershey, Strategic Product Manager, DTN LLC.

Presentation Description 

The week before Christmas 2022 saw a major winter storm develop across the Northern tier of the United States. Forecasts indicated high amounts of snow (ranges of 12 to 16 inches), very high winds (sustained levels of 30 mph with gusts of 50 mph), and extreme cold (high temperatures in the low teens Fahrenheit, with expected pavement temperatures in low single digits). The storm was not as severe as predicted, primarily regarding snowfall amounts but was nonetheless serious. In several states, major roads were closed either deliberately or as a result of crashes.

The storm was predicted to impact over 40 million US residents during one of the busiest travel periods in winter. This storm came on the heels of another major event that closed all Interstate highways across South Dakota, crippling local and logistics travel to many locations. Long range weather models indicated the potential for a large event over 7 days in the future. Extreme temperature changes were an additional factor on top of the large amount of snow accumulations predicted. The impact upon transportation wase challenging due to the heavy frozen precipitation, strong winds and rapidly dropping temperatures.

This study focuses on agencies across the U.S. and their experiences in dealing with this storm. Interviews were conducted with agencies in ten States that were impacted by the storm, to determine how they managed the storm, what actions worked, what lessons were learned, and what they would do differently if such a storm happened again.

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