The Ithaca area brings beautiful but sometimes hazardous weather. Severe thunderstorms, lightning, flooding, tornadoes, extreme temperatures, and severe winter weather all happen in this region. To help you prepare and react, Environmental Health & Safety has compiled this list of weather safety & information resources. EH&S can also assist you if you have further questions related to weather safety, preparedness and radios.
Operations involving high air temperatures, radiant heat sources, high humidity, direct physical contact with hot objects, or strenuous physical activities have a high potential for inducing heat stress. When the body is unable to cool itself by sweating, several heat-induced illnesses such as heat stress or heat exhaustion and the more severe heat stroke can occur, and can result in death. EH&S offers a Heat Stress Toolbox Talk, as well as employee training (see below).
As the weather becomes "frightful" during winter months, workers who must brave the outdoor conditions face the occupational hazard of exposure to the cold. Prolonged exposure to freezing temperatures can result in health problems as serious as trench foot, frostbite, and hypothermia. EH&S offers a Cold Stress Toolbox Talk, as well as employee training (see below).
Weather Information Resources
NOAA weather radio is one of the best sources of information for upcoming severe weather. A weather radio silently monitors weather radio broadcasts and alerts you when severe weather is forecast. Specific Area Message Encoding (S.A.M.E) allows you to limit the alerts to counties and locations that apply to you.
In Ithaca, NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards transmitter
WXN-59 broadcasts on a frequency of 162.500 MHz. The
S.A.M.E. code for Tompkins County is 036109.
When purchasing a radio you should consider a radio with
key features such as S.A.M.E. technology, selectable alerting events and battery backup. EH&S can assist you in evaluating radio models before purchase and programming them after purchase.