America is experiencing some of the worst winter weather it has had in four years, affecting millions of people from the Midwest to the East Coast. Hundreds of thousands of families have been without power for up to a week. Ice storms can be devastating, causing enough dangerous conditions to shut down entire cities. An ice storm is categorized by the accumulation of 0.25 inches of freezing rain—just enough to add 500 pounds of extra weight to power lines. Due to the extreme weight of ice, power lines, large trees, tree branches and utility poles can snap, causing blackouts that can last for weeks. Since road travel can be extremely treacherous during severe winter storms, it is best to prepare and stock up now before old man winter hits.