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2025 Hazard Mitigation Plan <br />Kittitas County, Washington ffi{ffi#l <br />snow, or blowing/drifting snow, or freezing rainldrizzle). The criteria can also be used to document out- <br />of-season and other unusual or rare occurrences of snow, or blowing/drifting snow, or freezing <br />rainldrizzle. <br />Table 4-160. Winter Weather Events (1950 -2023) <br />4.6.1 0.6. Vulnerability and lmpacts <br />Life Safety and Health: Winter weather poses a significant threat to health and life safety, and the entire <br />population in Kittitas County is vulnerable to winter weather events. A large number of deaths that occur <br />due to winter weather is not directly related to the weather itself. For example, people die in traffic <br />accidents due to ice on the roads, heart attacks while shoveling snow, and hypothermia from prolonged <br />exposure to cold. lnjuries related to ice and snow occur in automobiles (70%), people that are caught out <br />in the storm (25%), and the majority are males over 40 years old.266 Additionally, winter weather can <br />create slippery and icy conditions increasing the risk of slips, falls, resulting in fractures and head trauma. <br />Hazardous driving conditions caused by snowfall and icy roads increase the risk of vehicle accidents, <br />which can lead to injuries and fatalities. Heavy ice and snow accumulation can weigh down trees, and <br />communication and power lines which can result in extensive power outages. Subsequently, power <br />outages lead to a loss of heat in residences and places of business..267 lf heat is not available for an <br />extended period of time during a winter weather event, individuals can expose themselves to extremely <br />cold temperatures even when indoors. <br />Hypothermia and frostbite are both dangerous conditions that can happen when a person is exposed to <br />extremely cold temperatures. Hypothermia is when the body begins to lose heat faster than it is produced <br />which leads to lower body temperatures. Those at a higher risk for hypothermia include, but are not <br />limited to, older adults with inadequate food, clothing, or heating, babies sleeping in cold bedrooms, and <br />266 NOM, National Severe Storms Laboratory. (n.d.). Severe Weather 101: Winter Weather Basics. Retrieved <br />from https://www. nssl. noaa ucation/svruvx 1 0 1 /winter/ <br />267 NationalWeather Service. (n.d.). lce Storms. Retrieved from https://www.weather.qov/safetv/winter-ice-frost. <br />East Slopes <br />of the <br />Washington <br />Cascades <br />WA 912912019 15:00 Winter <br />Weather 0 0 0.00K 0.00K <br />EAST SLOPES <br />OF THE <br />WASHINGTON <br />CASCADES <br />EAST SLOPES <br />OF THE <br />WASHINGTON <br />CASCADES <br />East Slopes <br />of the <br />Washington <br />Cascades <br />WA 11412019 04:00 Winter <br />Weather 0 0 0.00K 0.00K <br />0 0.00K 0.00K <br />EAST SLOPES <br />OF THE <br />WASHINGTON <br />CASCADES <br />East Slopes <br />of the <br />Washington <br />Cascades <br />WA 1t3t2019 06:00 Winter <br />Weather 0 <br />Winter <br />Weather 0 0 0.00K 0.00K <br />EAST SLOPES <br />OF THE <br />WASHINGTON <br />CASCADES <br />East Slopes <br />of the <br />Washington <br />Cascades <br />WA 11t23t2018 17:42 <br />WA 1t1t2005 20:44 Winter <br />Weather 0 0 0,00K 0.00KKITTITAS VALLEY <br />(ZONE) <br />Kittitas Valley <br />(Zone) <br />0.00KE KITTITAS <br />(zoNE) <br />E Kittitas <br />(Zone)WA 112812004 07:00 Winter <br />Weather 0 0 0.00K <br />County / <br />Zone State Date Time Type Death lnjury Property <br />Damage <br />Crop <br />DamageLocation <br />Chapter 4: Hazard ldentification and Risk Assessment 207