WOAY-TV (Oak Hill, WV): While meteorologists measure hurricane strength on the Saffir-Simpson Scale, a special scale measures winter storm impact!
Chief Meteorologist Chad Merrill explains:
The snow that encased southern West Virginia today was beautiful because it stuck on everything but the roads (unless you live above 3,000 feet)! A storm like this one draws attention but has little impact on transportation and the economy.
A special winter scale developed by former Weather Channel Meteorologist Paul Kocin is designed to rank winter storms according to their severity. The severity is determined by how many people (population) see heavy snow and its impact to the economy and transportation. Based on the archived winter storm data base, the most extreme winter storm to impact the Northeast is the Blizzard of 1993.
