FARGO – In some ways, relatively minor winter weather systems are more dangerous than really big storms. When the region is blocked by a major snowstorm, most people close the door and stay home. When the forecast calls for light snow or patchy freezing drizzle, many people tend to hit the roads despite the weather.

The National Highway Traffic Administration reports that about a quarter of all highway accidents are caused by weather. Most of these accidents occur when icy conditions are just beginning and not when the highway gates are closed. Of course, larger storms have a larger impact overall, as schools and businesses are closed. But the underlying fact remains that we are much more likely than we think to be involved in a serious or fatal car accident when a little snow falls and we are tempted to drive too fast for the conditions.

John Wheeler is chief meteorologist for WDAY, a position he has held since May 1985. Wheeler grew up in the South, in Louisiana and Alabama, and cites his family’s move to the Midwest as important in developing his fascination with weather and climate. climate. Wheeler lived in Wisconsin and Iowa as a teenager. He attended Iowa State University and earned a bachelor’s degree in Meteorology in 1984. Wheeler worked for about a year at WOI-TV in central Iowa before moving to Fargo and WDAY.