On January 27, 2015, a historic blizzard was said to hit the East Coast. Blizzard Juno had states in states of emergency with transportation shut down and nearly 29 million people facing winter weather warnings. For Western Massachusetts, what was supposed to be one of the biggest blizzards to hit the east coast since 1997 turned out to be a miss. Although we did get some serious inches of snow, it was nowhere near the estimated measurements of snow that was feared.

Blizzard Juno was supposed to give us up to three feet of snow with winds gusting up to 70 mph. Storm-related damage was predicted to have crippling effects such as loss of power, life-threatening conditions, and damage to homes and cars from potential hazards such as toppling trees.

Although the storm was not as bad as predicted, lives were still at risk. A Massachusetts boy died from carbon monoxide poisoning after sitting in a car to warm up. The boy and his father were shoveling when the boy went into the car to warm up while the father continued to shovel. After discovering the boy unconscious, the boy was rushed to the hospital where he later died.

Stories like this serve as a reminder to all car owners to check your exhaust pipe for snow and ice as this can lead to a buildup of carbon monoxide. As well as cars, home heater pumps can also get covered and blocked by snow and ice. Homeowners with outside power and heating sources should check these for snow and ice buildups.

During these storms make sure to be prepared and stay warm!