Latest news with #IceStorm
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
A Massive Ice Storm in the Midwest Destroyed Millions of Acres of Public Forest. Here's What Happens Next
Michiganders can handle their share of winter weather. But the ice storm that hit the Lower Peninsula in late March was so severe and destructive that people have called it a 'generational storm.' With an inch or more of ice building on branches for days on end, entire stands of pine, oak, and aspen in Northern Michigan snapped or buckled under the weight — as did power lines, poles, and other infrastructure. The storm caused widespread blackouts and led Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to submit a disaster declaration asking for federal aid. Residents and state officials are still surveying the damage and working through the wreckage across millions of acres of northern woodlands, which are unrecognizable in some places and totally inaccessible in others. So what happens now? Because of the overwhelming scale of the destruction, land managers say there will be noticeable effects to forest health, including higher risks for intense wildfires. These altered habitats will affect wildlife populations as well, although some critters might actually benefit in the long run, according to biologists. The biggest and most immediate impacts, meanwhile, are on outdoor recreation. The state warns that hunters and other users will continue to encounter blocked roads, closed accesses, and treacherous woods. Recovery efforts, including salvage logging operations, are underway and will be for the foreseeable future. State officials say this will be costly, though, and as of May 20, the Trump Administration had not yet responded to Gov. Whitmer's request for help. Roughly 3 million acres of forest in 12 counties were affected by the 2025 Ice Storm, according to initial surveys by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. That included around 1 million acres of state forest land, or roughly a quarter of the entire state forest system. The closest historical comparison in the area was the damage wrought by the Great Michigan Fire of 1871, which burned about 2.5 million acres of forest. 'It's certainly the worst natural disaster that I've lived through,' says Michigan DNR public information officer Kerry Heckman, who lives in the affected area on an 80-acre wooded parcel that borders state forest land. 'And because it lasted so long, it was almost a week of hearing nothing but trees coming down and branches breaking, almost constantly. It was very unnerving to be outside, but it was also disconcerting inside. You almost felt like there wasn't a safe place to be.' At one point a white pine just missed their house. Heckman and her husband spent the week without power, relying instead on generators while helping their neighbors cut out driveways, and praying that more falling trees wouldn't hit their cabin. 'We wouldn't even go out without a hard hat on,' Heckman continues. 'You had to have a spotter, too, because if you have a chainsaw running, you might not hear a tree coming down right next to you.' Read Next: Beginner's Guide to Timber Stand Improvement: How to Manage Your Woods for Deer and Other Wildlife It has now been two months since the storm. Heckman says the DNR has so far been able to assess around 150,000 acres, or roughly 20 percent of the affected acreage on state forest land. Foresters are still gauging the severity of the damage as they plan salvage and thinning operations, and much of the floor is still covered with downed branches, debris, and half-fallen trees that are hinged or hanging down — what Heckman calls 'ladder fuels,' which can carry flames into the tree-tops and create hotter, faster-spreading wildfires. She says they'll have to monitor and mitigate these risks for the next five to 10 years. The agency's biggest priority at this point, though, is clearing the more than 3,000 miles of state forest roads that were blocked off or damaged during the ice storm. Heckman says the DNR has focused on roads in fire-prone areas 'because we don't want to have to respond to a wildfire and not be able to get to it.' But crews are also prioritizing the main access roads that are used heavily by hunters and other forest users. 'The last time I looked, we had over 1,000 miles [of road] that were impassable. That's like us needing to clear the roads from Mackinac City to Atlanta, Georgia.' These efforts will continue at least through 2025, Heckman says, but progress is slow. Even the heavy equipment crews using skid steers and bulldozers are only able to clear about two miles of forest road a day. Most of the state parks, campgrounds, and boat ramps that were closed as a result of the storm have since reopened. The MDNR's website has an updated digital map that shows this information. But Heckman says that cabin owners and other people who frequent these woods to hunt, fish, forage, and hike will likely encounter closed roads, hard-to-reach areas, and other hazards. 'Just walking through the forest is difficult in places. There's a lot of tree tops down, limbs down, and a lot of trees that are leaning,' says Heckman. 'And aside from just traversing the forest floor, there's also overhead hazards. There's still a lot of widowmakers out there — trees or limbs that are hanging or caught up and can come down without warning.' Those hazards could remain on the landscape through the fall deer season and into the winter months and beyond. And although public access will improve as more forest roads get cleared, hunters traveling off those main roads should remain wary. 'Whether you're out turkey hunting or picking morel mushrooms, just be careful,' Heckman says. 'Make sure you keep an eye on what you're standing under, and what you're trying to walk over.' Fortunately for turkey hunters and mushroom hunters, there are still plenty of both species in the affected zones. In some ways, wild game and forage might actually benefit from the aftermath of the ice storm. (More on this in a minute.) Heckman says she expects a bumper morel crop in the coming years as woody debris decomposes on the forest floor. This woody material will also help create new and beneficial habitat for fish in local rivers. Whenever historic storms like this strike, it often reminds locals of the last bad storm — and the damage it did. In one recent Michigan hunting forum, locals are retelling stories about winter storms in the 70s, and how they saw 'hundreds of dead birds including many pheasants' that died on their roosts, some with 'ice forming on their beaks.' That doesn't seem to be the case this year, according to Heckman, who has not heard any evidence from the field of wildlife dying in the storm. There were probably some animals caught under falling trees or that died of exposure, she says, but the idea of pheasants, deer, and other critters freezing in their beds and nests is more of a wives' tale than a scientific reality. There is some peer-reviewed research into the impacts that weather can have on Michigan's game populations. According to one such study, harsh winters are one of the main limiting factors for the state's deer herds. Read Next: Why Is Deer Hunting in the Northwoods on the Decline? And Will It Ever Rebound? However, MDNR biologist Shelby Adams told reporters in April that she thinks deer and elk populations in the area will actually benefit from the disturbance, which opens up the tree canopy and creates a flush of new growth. Along with whitetails, Northern Michigan is home to the largest free-range elk herd east of the Mississippi, and Adams said she expects to see even more of those elk in the areas damaged by the ice storm. 'We know there's tops hitting the ground so the elk are taking advantage of that opportunity for this brief amount of time,' Adams told MLive. 'As the forest regenerates in the next 10 to 15 years they really do thrive in that young forest landscape.' Game birds like turkeys, ruffed grouse, and woodcock could benefit for similar reasons, Heckman says. 'We're going to see a lot of those new plants and stump sprouts, especially from aspens. And that early successional habitat, ruffed grouse and woodcock love that. It's obviously beneficial for deer as well,' she explains. 'That's actually a lot of what we're trying to do when we do forest management, is mimicking that natural disturbance.' Fortunately for wild turkeys, the ice storm hit well before their breeding and nesting season. So Heckman doubts the birds were impacted much by the event. Unfortunately for her, she was too busy coordinating damage control this spring to do any turkey hunting herself. Judging from what she's seen on her own land, though, she has high hopes for next year. 'This is just anecdotal, but I actually saw more turkeys this spring than I have in a while,' she says. 'We're still seeing lots of wildlife in the area … we've seen deer on our game cameras, and I've actually had a bear and a bobcat on there as well since the storm.'
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Champions Way primed to deliver in Chettinad Stud Plate
Champions Way, who has been well prepared, is expected to score in the Chettinad Stud Plate (1,600m), the feature event of the races to be held here on Saturday (May 31). False rails (width about 2.5m from 1,600m to the winning post) will be in position. 1. CLASSICAL ACT PLATE (1,400m), rated 00 to 25, 6-y-o & over, 2-00 p.m.: 1. Raffles (5) Trevor 60.5, 2. Southernaristocrat (1) Antony 60, 3. Ice Storm (7) M. Rajesh K 58.5, 4. Sacred Creator (8) Ramswarup 58.5, 5. El Alamein (3) Bhawani S 57.5, 6. Burning Arrow (2) Angad 56, 7. Embosom (6) Jagadeesh 56 and 8. Recreator (4) Koshi K 54. 1. RAFFLES, 2. SACRED CREATOR, 3. BURNING ARROW 2. WORLD NO-TOBACCO DAY PLATE (1,400m), maiden 3-y-o only, (Terms), 2-30: 1. Efficacy (8) Shreyas S 56, 2. Juracan (4) Trevor 56, 3. Knight Regent (6) Neeraj 56, 4. Ksepiman (1) I. Chisty 56, 5. Ransomware (10) Angad 56, 6. Seneca (2) Sandesh 56, 7. Adornment (11) Akshay K 54.5, 8. Assurances (7) R. Vaibhav 54.5, 9. Blind Faith (9) A.A. Vikrant 54.5, 10. Galway Girl (3) Vishal Bunde 54.5 and 11. Sunshine (5) S. Saqlain 54.5. 1. EFFICACY, 2. JURACAN, 3. SUNSHINE 3. ROMANTIC DANCE PLATE (Div. II), (1,400m), rated 20 to 45, 3-00: 1. Lex Luthor (3) A. Prakash 60, 2. Amazing Stride (2) C. Umesh 59, 3. Adelanto (5) R. Vaibhav 58.5, 4. Vibrant Queen (8) P.P. Dhebe 58.5, 5. Pursuit Of Wealth (4) Sai Kiran 58, 6. Verrazzano (9) G. Praveen 58, 7. Wild Cannon (7) Md. Ashraf Reza 58, 8. Divine Protector (1) R. Pradeep 57 and 9. Martha (6) M. Rajesh K 56. 1. AMAZING STRIDE, 2. ADELANTO, 3. DIVINE PROTECTOR 4. MARILINGAIAH MEMORIAL TROPHY (1,200m), rated 40 to 65, 3-30: 1. Exclusive Black (2) C.A. Brisson 60, 2. Crimson Flame (5) Koshi K 57.5, 3. Divine Star (1) Trevor 57, 4. Aquastic (4) Akshay K 56, 5. Flash (3) Rayan 54, 6. Walking Thunder (8) I. Chisty 53, 7. Grenoble (6) Hindu S 52 and 8. Kerrygold (7) Vishal Bunde 52. 1. DIVINE STAR, 2. AQUASTIC, 3. GRENOBLE 5. DHARMAPRAKASHA L.S. VENKAJI RAO MEMORIAL TROPHY (1,400m), rated 60 to 85, 4-00: 1. Metzinger (8) Pavan 60, 2. English Bay (1) R. Pradeep 59.5, 3. Mayne Magic (10) Antony 59.5, 4. Forseti (12) Darshan 59, 5. All Attraction (4) G. Vivek 57.5, 6. Arkadian (5) S. Saqlain 56, 7. Invincible (6) Angad 54, 8. Asagiri (11) Siddaraju P 53, 9. Eaton Square (7) A.S. Peter 53, 10. Secret Saint (2) Trevor 53, 11. Elpenor (9) Shreyas S 52 and 12. Fortunate Son (3) N.S. Parmar 50.5. 1. SECRET SAINT, 2. ARKADIAN, 3. MAYNE MAGIC 6. CHETTINAD STUD PLATE (1,600m), rated 80 & above, 4-30: 1. Queen Of Kings (1) M. Prabhakaran 61.5, 2. Champions Way (3) Suraj 55, 3. Casteel (4) Ramswarup 53, 4. Sativur (2) I. Chisty 52.5, 5. Mescalito (6) Akshay K 51 and 6. Star Of Night (5) Neeraj 51. 1. CHAMPIONS WAY, 2. CASTEEL 7. ROMANTIC DANCE PLATE (Div. I), (1,400m), rated 20 to 45, 5-00: 1. Carat Love (9) B. Dharshan 60.5, 2. Extraordinary (5) R. Robert 60.5, 3. Monterio (—) (—) 60, 4. Eclipse Pulse (3) Asirvatham 58.5, 5. Double Vision (7) Salman Khan 56.5, 6. Stentorian (2) Shezad Khan 56.5, 7. Star Honour (10) Darshan 55.5, 8. The Commander (4) Shivam 54, 9. Higgs Boson (8) M. Rajesh K 53.5 and 10. Highland Dream (1) I. Chisty 53. 1. STENTORIAN, 2. CARAT LOVE, 3. STAR HONOUR Day's best: SECRET SAINT Double: EFFICACY — DIVINE STAR Jkt: 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7; Tr (i): 2, 3 and 4; (ii): 5, 6 and 7.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Greene County storm damage attributed to straight-line winds
At this time, the National Weather Service has no plans to survey for tornado damage anywhere in Greene County. This means the extensive damages caused to Springfield on Tuesday morning will be ruled as straight line winds and not due to anything tornadoic. Gusts of over 90 mph resulted in the largest power blackout in Springfield since the 2007 Ice Storm. Roughly 20,000 residents are currently without power in Greene County as city crews work around the clock to restore electricity. With that being said, the Springfield office of the National Weather Service has confirmed two tornadoes that occurred outside of Greene County on Tuesday morning. An EF-1 tornado touched down around 9 am with a path length of roughly 2 miles before lifting. Winds have been estimated at 90mph based on damage done to a nearby church roof, uprooting of many large trees, and minor damage to local homes. Additionally, survey teams determined that a weak EF-0 tornado occurred in Nixa near Eaglecrest Street. This was a quick but strong spin-up as the path length was roughly half a mile and only 25 yards in width. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
The 1991 Ice Storm that froze Rochester: See rare photos from the historic event
Who could forget the devastating Ice Storm of 1991 in Rochester, New York? Beginning on the afternoon of Sunday, March 3, the storm paralyzed the region. Ice-covered tree limbs crashed down, blocking roads and bringing down live power lines, leaving more than 200,000 homes and businesses without power. It took 14 days to restore electricity to most RG&E customers. The storm hit late on Sunday, March 3, 1991. More than 200,000 homes and businesses in western New York lost power, with RG&E customers experiencing a collective 25.5 million hours of electrical service loss. It took 14 days to restore electricity for most RG&E customers. Governor Mario M. Cuomo declared a state of emergency across 19 counties. Tragically, a 73-year-old woman was found dead from exposure in her unheated Portland Avenue home on March 11—nine days after the storm hit. Insurance companies paid $75 million in claims related to the storm. The total cost of the storm reached $170 million—equivalent to over $300 million today. On May 16, 1991, the Democrat and Chronicle reported on a 124-page internal RG&E report assessing how to improve storm response in the future. This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Ice Storm 1991 in Rochester NY: See rare photos from historic event
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Dangerous ice storm threatens over 1 million in Pacific Northwest Thursday: 'This has us concerned'
FAST FACTS: Dangerous freezing rain event triggers Ice Storm Warnings for over 1 million across much of the Willamette Valley. NWS warns Portland area commuters don't be complacent with a dry Thursday morning drive as storm arrives there midday. Freezing rain lingers into Friday and could return over the weekend. PORTLAND, Ore. — A potent winter storm is threatening a mix of significant freezing rain and accumulating snow across a swath of the Pacific Northwest - including the Portland area - on Thursday, bringing warnings of power outages and multiple dangerous commutes. An area of low pressure swirling off the Pacific Coast that is connected to an atmospheric river storm bringing torrential rains to California Thursday will also spread moisture into western Oregon and southwestern Washington. What Is Freezing Rain? The approaching storm is carrying relatively mild air, but cold air is deeply entrenched in western Oregon, which has been in a week-long arctic chill. Temperatures are dropping into the mid-20s Wednesday night and will struggle to reach freezing Thursday morning as easterly winds pull in even more arctic air from Eastern Oregon via the Columbia River Gorge. As the warm rain pushes in over the freezing surface, it's a classic recipe for freezing rain - and a lot of it. Ice Storm Warnings cover over a million people in the central and southern Willamette Valley, including Eugene and Salem, for as much as 0.2-0.3 inches of ice accretion. Freezing rain will likely be falling by their Thursday morning commute, making glazed roads a danger. Power outages from ice-coated trees and power lines could follow. How Much Ice Is Needed To Knock Out Power, Damage Trees? The precipitation is likely to hold off until just after the Thursday morning commute in the Portland and Vancouver metro area, but even that carries its own risk. "Precipitation will likely begin as snow for the northern Willamette Valley and Portland/Vancouver metro around 9-10 AM (Thursday) before switching over to freezing rain in the early afternoon, potentially mixing in with sleet at times," the National Weather Service in Portland wrote in its Wednesday evening forecast discussion. "This hasus concerned that folks living in the Portland/Vancouver metro will wake up before 9 AM, notice it is still dry out and head to work, then have a very difficult time trying to commute back home in the evening as there will likely be some snow and ice on roads, resulting in hazardous travel conditions." What Is The Difference Between Snow, Sleet, And Freezing Rain Snow accumulations around Portland are expected to top out around an inch before the change to freezing rain, which is forecast to accrete to about 0.1-0.2 inches. A Winter Storm Warning is in effect there through late Friday morning. In addition, strong easterly winds could reach 45-60 mph gusts in the eastern Portland suburbs along the cold outflow of the Columbia River Gorge, extending freezing rain threats and dropping wind chills into the teens. The freezing rain threat lasts through Thursday night and into about midday Friday before the storm pushes off to the east and the region temporarily dries out. Light snow up to about an inch could reach as far north as the southern Puget Sound region south of Seattle before drier air works its way there too. However, another storm heading into the Northwest for the weekend may present a renewed ice threat in the eastern Portland area near the Columbia Gorge outflow until much milder air sweeps into the Northwest and ends any lowland wintry weather article source: Dangerous ice storm threatens over 1 million in Pacific Northwest Thursday: 'This has us concerned'
