Winter weather is here for many parts of the country. With the snow and ice comes the dangers of avalanches. As fresh snow accumulates on slopes, the potential for a deadly avalanche grows. Many parts of the country have warning signs and educational programs offered to citizens to help protect them from this often ignored weather-related hazard.

Why are avalanches so scary? A typical avalanche can release 100,000 tons of snow. The leading state in avalanche-related deaths is Colorado. Clearly, public safety is a number one concern for any state with a potential for a deadly avalanche. Skiers, snowboarders, and backcountry hikers should all be aware of the causes of avalanches.

Every year, I get tons of email on hurricanes. Citizens preparing for a hurricane warning, students working on school hurricane projects, and weather hobbyists always ask wonderful questions. There is so much that can be learned about hurricanes that I created the Hurricane FAQ that lists some of your top questions on hurricane formation, evacuations, history, and more. If you have a question you would like answered on hurricanes that I can add to this list, please email me. I will be sure to include your question in the ever-expanding list. My goal is to get your top 100 questions answered!

When it comes to holiday dinners, many give thanks for beautiful and mild weather. Others give thanks to a blanket of snow on the ground. Still others dare to ask the often debated question about whether having a white Christmas is good or bad. Statistically speaking, depending on which state you live in, you may have a better (or worse) chance than you think to have snow appear near your home on Christmas Day. Check the statistics for your home state now to see if you will have a white Christmas. Just think about it, even Las Vegas gets snow as you can see in the image.

Weather history is an interesting subject. In fact, some people have deicated their lives to showing how weather changes history. From the Salem Witch Trials, to slave revolts in the South, and to the appearance of a winter tornado, storms can and do change lives, if not history altogether. The 10 Deadliest Tornadoes describes some of the worst tornadic storms in US History. Each storm resulted in multiple deaths and millions in damages.