HOUSTON (AP) — Winter weather brings with it several dangers that people must contend with to stay warm and safe.
These dangers can include carbon monoxide poisoning, hypothermia, and frozen pipes that can burst and make homes uninhabitable.
Officials and public safety experts say there are several ways people can prepare to avoid these winter weather dangers and protect themselves.
The dangers are on the radar this week as moderate to heavy snowfall will affect millions of people across the United States from Kansas City to Washington. Cold weather also prevails on the east coast.
Officials say people should stay indoors during a winter storm. However, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, home heating systems that run for hours can increase the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning because of the deadly fumes that can be produced by stoves, ovens and heaters.
Carbon monoxide can also be produced when people use portable generators or drive cars in their garage to stay warm or charge their phones.
Dr. Alex Harding, assistant professor of emergency medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, said people aren't necessarily aware of it because carbon monoxide is odorless and colorless.
“The symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning can be truly insidious. They can sneak up on patients and range from the mere appearance of a headache or perhaps mild nausea to loss of consciousness and seizures,” he said.
The cold weather affecting much of the East Coast can be dangerous or fatal due to the uncertain nature of the weather. This week's winter storms are moving south, and cold air will likely be present as far south as Georgia, said Jon Palmer, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gray, Maine.
The cold temperatures could also affect people in parts of the country that have largely experienced a mild winter.
“Very cold temperatures and wind can make temperatures feel much colder, and the result could be cold air that could ultimately lead to frostbite much faster or hypothermia much faster than normal,” Palmer said.
Prolonged exposure to freezing temperatures can increase the risk of hypothermia. This is a condition that occurs when the body loses heat faster than it can produce it.
“Hypothermia is definitely one of the bigger concerns, especially when we have any certainty about power grids or power failures,” Harding said.
The risk of hypothermia is greater when staying outside, exposed to gusts of wind, not wearing appropriate clothing, or wearing clothing that gets wet.
“If they have a safe, warm place to settle down, where they have water, food and all of those necessities…then that will limit their exposure to these risks,” Harding said.
But vulnerable populations, such as people with disabilities or the homeless, may have trouble finding warm, safe housing.
Frozen pipes in a home are a particular problem in parts of the South during severe winter weather because such equipment is often located outside buildings. But other parts of the country are also struggling with this problem.
Jose Parra, master plumber at Abacus Plumbing, Air Conditioning & Electrical in Houston, advises insulating all pipes that lead outside, turning off and draining sprinkler systems, and allowing indoor faucets to drip during subzero temperatures to allow water to flow through the pipes and protects them.
“A lot of what we're fixing, I'd say 80 to 90 percent, could have been prevented with a little bit of advance work,” Parra said.
Experts acknowledge that cold weather can be difficult for electric vehicles, but say that with some planning and a little adjustment, owners should be able to travel as normal.
In electric vehicle batteries, lithium ions flow through a liquid electrolyte to generate electricity. However, when it is cold, they migrate more slowly through the electrolyte and do not release as much energy. This reduces the range and can drain the battery more quickly.
In the short term, automakers will likely find better ways to protect battery life and warm them up for charging, Neil Dasgupta, an associate professor of mechanical engineering and materials science at the University of Michigan, told The Associated Press earlier this year. And there are new battery chemistries in development that are more resilient in cold weather.
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Tom Krisher contributed to this story.