Winter Storm Fatalities for 1996  
Winter Storms ranked as the second deadliest weather, accounting for 86 deaths in 1996— nearly eight times the 1995 total of 11. (The 1996 winter statistics include ice related deaths but not avalanche.) The "Blizzard of 1996" was the biggest killer. Vehicle accidents accounted for 37 deaths; exposure to the elements caused another 34. Many of the exposure deaths were people who became disoriented in blizzard conditions and died of hypothermia. Pennsylvania and South Dakota experienced the highest number of winter related fatalities with 9 each; North Carolina followed with 7; Washington, 6; and numerous other states had fewer than 6 fatalities each. Male deaths outnumbered female deaths by more than 3:2 with the 30- to 59-year-old age group being the most susceptible to the dangers of winter weather. There were also 677 injuries reported, second only to tornadoes with 705. 
Winter Storm Fatalities for 1997  Winter Storms accounted for 90 deaths (includes winter storms and ice): four more than in 1996. Winter weather was the second deadliest category in 1997, behind floods. Many deaths were the result of blizzards in the Dakotas from January 8-11 and in the southwestern mountains of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah from January 10-14. Causes of deaths include vehicle accidents, carbon monoxide poisioning (people stranded in a vehicle with the engine on and poor ventilation), and hypothermia (people who left their stranded vehicles and did not reach shelter). The states suffering the most fatalities were Colorado with 12 and North Dakota with 11. Of the 90 fatalities, 64 were males and 26 were females. The 30 to 60 year old age group accounted for 48% of winter weather deaths. There were also 573 injuries, second only to tornadoes with 1,033.  The above chart and text, except for the typed in links, are courtesy of nws.noaa.gov  
The winters of 1996 and 1997 both proved to be more dangerous in winter weather than 1995 by far. In 1995 there were only 11 deaths due to winter weather.Many of the deaths in 1996 were caused by the Blizzard of 1996 in January that struck the northeast United States. Many of the deaths occurred by hypothermia and vehicle accidents attributed to the storm. The most at risk group was the 30-60 year old males. They tend to be the ones who go outside in bad weather, try to get to help and do not make it. Overexertion from shoveling and heart attacks could also be possible with the blizzard conditions. In 1997, 90 people died as a direct result of snowstorms and blizzards. Again, the 30 to 60 age group had the most deaths per age group. Some people died as a result of CO, carbon monoxide poisioning, with lack of fresh air and poor ventilation. The main blizzard that caused deaths in 1997 was the January 8-11 storm in the Dakotas. This storm had frigid arctic air and extremely low wind chills. The last two years the fatalities from blizzards have been in second place, behind floods in 1997. Injuries only slightly lagged behind tornado injuries in 1996 and were about half of the 1997 tornado injuries. Long-span roofs are the safest in a blizzard with no deaths in 1996 and one in 1997. Mobile homes contributed to 4 deaths in 1996 and none in 1997. Trees can fall on mobile homes, also blizzard winds could blow them over. Outdoors was where 34 deaths occurred in 1996 and 21 in 1997. Hypothermia and disorientation, along with overexertion caused these deaths. Permanent homes had 5 deaths in 1996 and 9 in 1997. These were probably caused by trees falling into houses with the heavy weight of snow or wind. Vehicles contributed to approximately half of the deaths in 1996 and 1997. This was because of auto accident and carbon monoxide poisioning. Deaths due to blizzard have risen dramatically in the last few years and are now around 90 per winter. This could be because people do not take the threat of a blizzard seriously and head out of town on the weekend anyway. Also with more vehicles on the road there are more vehicle deadly vehicle accidents where snowy roads or whiteout are the cause. A blizzard calls on common sense for survival.
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