Index Developed To Gauge Ice Storms

News On 6

TULSA, OK -- Many people were caught off guard by the storm's icy impact last year, but now there's a new way to predict an ice storm's severity.

A Tulsa meteorologist and an official with the Oklahoma Association of Electric Co-ops created the Sperry-Piltz Utility Ice Damage Index.

The index looks at ice thickness, wind speed and direction, and temperatures to predict how much damage an ice storm might cause.  The creators hope the index will help home and business owners better prepare for ice storms.

Since 2000, there have been six storms that brought more than an inch of ice to Oklahoma.  Combined, those storms caused more than a billion dollars in property damage.