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Have you noticed salt left on our roads and sidewalks after a storm? A recent study shows that road salt is a major source of chloride in our waters. In some urban streams, chloride is found at levels that can harm fish and other wildlife.
In the mid-1950’s, highway [...]

Did you know the burns are a common form of injury during  heavy snowfall or freezing rain events? Winter storms may break utility polls or disrupt electric lines, cutting off some households from power, heat and communication. Those unaccustomed to using candles, wood stoves and other heating devices can suffer from burns and other injuries. Wood burning and use of [...]

Winter strips everything down to the bare essentials and often adds a coat of white in the process. Most people plan their gardens with shapes that are full of color, striving to maximize excitement during the spring and summer months. New England winters are quite long, often providing cold temperatures for five to six months of the [...]

Our forests are finely attuned to seasonal changes in weather. Cold damage, like fire damage, is a natural disturbance that strongly affects ecosystems. Ice storms may break the branches of trees or cause them to fall completely. Winter rains soften the ground so that tree roots loosen their grip, ice weighs heavily upon their upper [...]

The Great Lakes account for nine-tenths of North America’s surface freshwater, but less than one percent of their water is renewed each year by snow and rain. It would take 100 years for nature to replace even one gallon of water lost from the lakes. This slow recharge rate means we must take care to [...]

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Mid-winter is the perfect time to put out a birdhouse. Even though there is still snow on the ground in many places and many bird species are still far to the south, it’s not too early. Chickadees, bluebirds, screech owls and woodpeckers are among the bird species that will [...]

In terms of area, property damage and deaths, eight of the most significant floods in the 20th century were snowmelt-related. Several factors contribute to snowmelt flooding:

High soil moisture content: Soil that is saturated with water in late fall may not have time to drain and dry out before it freezes, resulting in deep ground frost [...]

 
 About 15,000 emergency room visits and 500 deaths occur each year because of unintentional carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. As a matter of fact, this colorless, odorless gas is the most common cause of poisoning deaths in the U.S. CO is produced when a fuel – natural gas, propane, oil, kerosene, wood, charcoal – is burned. [...]

If you have cabin fever this winter and can’t be enjoying time outside, know that the snow is beneficial to the bodies of water and other natural areas that you enjoy during the summer. Snow replenishes water in rivers and streams and provides insulation for fish and wildlife that slow down during the winter. At [...]

Plants have evolved very unique and diverse ways of surviving cold weather. Most flowering plants in North America’s temperate climate lose their leaves or die back to the ground and live off of stored food. Water plants are a slightly different story. On the surface of the water, there is no protection from freezing temperatures. [...]

On February 2, Punxsutawney Phil – the famous weather-predicting groundhog – will emerge from his burrow at Gobblers Knob in Pennsylvania to make his prediction about our winter weather. Scientists know that groundhogs in Pennsylvania hibernate for about 100 days, from November to February.  But what if Phil lived in South Carolina…or Maine? Believe it [...]

When cold weather freezes fingers, toes, ears and noses, it causes the irreperable tissue damage we know as frostbite.  The ice crystals that form inside these extremities puncture and destroy cells, as the outside flesh turnes white or grayish-yellow and becomes firm and waxy.  When windchill values drop below zero degrees Fahrenheit, exposed skin can [...]

There are several easy ways to ensure that your landscape can support native bird populations in winter. One thing that birds look for in winter is a large supply of high-energy foods. These are easily provided by plants that produce edible berries, nuts and seeds. Some great native berry-producers are Viburnums, Sumacs, Dogwoods, Waxmyrtle, and [...]

Each year, communities across the U.S. pour hundreds of tons of salt and other de-icing materials on roads and highways. Rock salt, or sodium chloride, is the most commonly used de-icing agent. The salt works by dissolving the precipitation on roadways and lowering the freezing point, thereby melting ice and snow. Although this is beneficial [...]

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Winter is a great time to get outside and go wildlife watching!  Some wild animals migrate south and some hibernate until spring, but a lot of creatures tough out the weather and are easy to see at this time of year.
Viewer Tip: With no leaves on the trees, your [...]

Heavy rain falling on frozen ground means that water will run over the ground quickly rather than soaking in, increasing the potential for flash flooding.  Melting snow can add even more water to the mix.  In smaller rivers and streams, ice jam flooding may occur when ice breaks up and floats downstream, where it piles [...]

The recent cold snap may be the most severe the eastern United States has experienced in more than 30 years. Do a few weeks of cold temperatures in one region of the world mean that global warming has stopped?
There are a few variables to consider – the behavior of the Arctic Oscillation, the ratio of [...]

January is National Radon Action Month.
Radon gas: You can’t see it, smell it or taste it. But if it’s in your home, it can make you sick. As a matter of fact, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. (smoking is first). Radon is produced when uranium in soil, rock [...]

AAA projects that 87.7 million Americans will be traveling more than 50 miles during the year-end holiday period.  About 88 percent of those travelers will be hitting the road and AAA expects to come to the aid of nearly 1.3 million stranded motorists this season. That help will come in the form of half-a-million tows; [...]

Wood smoke is one of winter’s most distinctive smells – but while smoke may smell good, it’s not good for you. Smoke from wood fires contains a mixture of gases and tiny particles of ash, soot and wood tar. Particles that are less than 2.5 microns in size – 30 times smaller than the width [...]