Examples of Weather Problems in Different Climatic Regions

Abstract

THIS CHAPTER presents seven examples of how various weather extremes have created critical problems for railroads and allied forms of transportation in different climatic regions. These examples illustrate in detail how problems have developed and how they have been handled. When one thinks of problems created by the abnormal weather conditions in the central United States (High Plains or Midwest), agricultural issues typically come to mind. However, weather aberrations in that area drastically impede all the highly weather-sensitive transportation systems that serve not only the region, but the entire nation. Chicago is the nation’s rail hub, and nearly 90% of all freight traffic going east-west or north-south across the nation passes though Chicago. Barges operating on the Mississippi River system, which includes the Ohio, Illinois, and Missouri rivers, handle 73% of all bulk commodities (grain, coal, lumber, oil, and chemicals) moved in an area covering 60% of the United States.