Electric Co-op Today

A forecasting tool that helps electric cooperatives determine where ice-related damage is likely to occur on their systems is gaining in popularity heading into this winter season, its co-developer says.

An ice index developed for co-ops can help crews prepare for heavy accumulations of ice. (Photo by OAEC)

“We’ve been working closely with regional offices of the National Weather Service since late 2006 and there’s a growing interest in using it,” said Sid Sperry of the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives.

“The index uses National Weather Service forecasts to model the potential damage that can occur when heavy ice accumulates on power lines.”

Sperry, the director of public relations, communications and research for the Oklahoma statewide, worked with Steve Piltz, chief meteorologist of the Tulsa office of the National Weather Service, to develop the index.

Co-op loss control officials and operations personnel are now using it to pinpoint specific areas of their territory where damage is most likely to occur.

“Digital forecasting technology allows us to focus on areas as small as five or ten square miles,” Sperry said. “We look at temperatures, precipitation and wind direction and velocity.”

Those factors can help co-ops determine which overhead power lines are potentially most vulnerable to icing conditions, Sperry said. “This can give us some indication of where the heaviest impact or damage could be.”

As frigid, wet conditions developed Dec. 2-5, the first Sperry-Piltz Ice Accumulation Index forecasts of the 2011-2012 season were issued.

“We released forecasts for New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, and Kansas,” Sperry said. While he characterized the recent activity as “a mild icing event,” the sleet and snow projections included in the information provided co-ops with about two days advance warning.

“Last February, the index was used to predict probable ice damage in parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, the Carolinas and Georgia,” Sperry said. “It’s also been used in parts of Iowa, southern Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Indiana.”

The tool could help co-ops in many states east of the Rocky Mountains prepare for ice storms between late fall and early spring, said Sperry. “We’re ready to work with other statewide associations to make that possible.”

Tags: Lineworkers, Power Outages, Preparedness, Weather