# Winter Storm Sample This page provides a complete sample response for a winter storm hazard from the Active Hazards API endpoint. Winter storm hazards encompass snowfall warnings, blizzards, and ice storms, and are typically sourced from national weather agencies such as Environment Canada, the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS), and the Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology (BoM). These alerts follow the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) standard. ## Winter Storm-Specific Properties ### Incident Data The `incident.properties` object for a winter storm contains CAP-based alert metadata describing the weather warning. Key incident properties for winter storms include: * `event` - The specific weather event type (e.g., `"Winter Storm"`) * `headlineDescription` - Full descriptive headline combining alert status and detailed forecast information * `hazardSeverity` - The severity classification of the hazard (e.g., `"WARNING"`) * `incidentLocationName` - Human-readable location of the alert (e.g., `"Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada"`) * `senderName` - Issuing agency (e.g., `"Environment Canada"`) * `headline` - Alert headline text (e.g., `"yellow warning - winter storm - in effect"`) * `description` - Detailed alert description with snowfall accumulation amounts and travel impacts * `severity` - CAP severity level (e.g., `"Moderate"`) * `urgency` - CAP urgency level (e.g., `"Expected, Past"`) * `certainty` - CAP certainty level (e.g., `"Likely, Observed"`) * `effective` / `expires` / `onset` - ISO 8601 timing fields for the alert window * `msgType` - CAP message type (e.g., `"Update"`) * `instruction` - Recommended actions (e.g., `"Prepare for quickly changing and deteriorating travel conditions."`) * `category` - CAP category (e.g., `"Met"` for meteorological) ### Features The `features` property contains a GeoJSON FeatureCollection with CAP\_INFO features. Each CAP\_INFO feature represents an individual alert info block from the original CAP message, containing the alert polygon geometry along with area descriptions and geocodes. Winter storm alerts may also include `SMART_ALERT` and `EXPOSURE_AREA` features within the same collection. ### Exposure Areas Winter storm hazards may use multiple exposure levels representing different severity zones within the alert area: * **Level 0**: Limited exposure area - peripheral zone with lower expected impact * **Level 1**: Moderate exposure area - core zone with higher expected impact ## Sample Response ```json { "name": [ { "locale": "en", "value": "Winter Storm - Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada" } ], "description": [ { "locale": "en", "value": "Environment Canada has issued a Winter Storm warning for March 13, 2026 18:15:48 UTC through March 14, 2026 10:15:48 UTC.\n\nIt is estimated that 53,400 people, 23,500 households, and $10.0 Billion (USD) of infrastructure* are within the affected area(s). Exposure estimates will be refined as additional data from official sources becomes available.\n\nyellow warning - winter storm - in effect\nSnow will combine with strengthening winds to cause blowing snow. Locations: western Newfoundland. Additional snowfall tonight: 2 to 5 cm. Maximum wind gusts: westerly 60 to 70 km/h..." } ], "severity": "WARNING", "category": "EVENT", "incident": { "uuid": "36a4fc31-8138-423d-ba2a-470108d81f1a", "type": "WINTERSTORM", "sourceId": 1800, "sourceRecordId": "urn:oid:2.49.0.1.124.1425888360.2026", "properties": { "hazardName": "Winter Storm - Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada", "senderName": "Environment Canada", "urgency": "Expected, Past", "headline": "yellow warning - winter storm - in effect\nyellow warning - winter storm - ended", "severity": "Moderate", "certainty": "Likely, Observed", "status": null, "..." } }, "uuid": "a19f1d59-f3d3-4bef-bfbe-23e1b7d4be83", "comment": null, "createdAt": 1773426705, "relatedHazards": [], "longitude": -58.22802, "latitude": 48.84801, "version": 18, "alertGeometry": { "type": "FeatureCollection", "features": [ { "type": "Feature", "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [...] }, "properties": null } ] }, "features": { "features": [ { "id": null, "type": "Feature", "properties": { "severity": "LIMITED", "featureType": "EXPOSURE_AREA", "type": "EXPOSURE_AREA" }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [...] }, "incidentType": null, "sourceId": null }, { "id": null, "type": "Feature", "properties": { "severity": "MODERATE", "featureType": "EXPOSURE_AREA", "type": "EXPOSURE_AREA" }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [...] }, "incidentType": null, "sourceId": null }, { "id": null, "type": "Feature", "properties": { "featureType": "SMART_ALERT", "type": "SMART_ALERT" }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [...] }, "incidentType": null, "sourceId": null } ], "incidentType": null, "metadata": null, "type": "FeatureCollection", "sourceId": null }, "exposureAreas": { "features": [ { "id": null, "type": "Feature", "properties": { "exposureLevel": 0 }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [...] }, "sourceId": null }, { "id": null, "type": "Feature", "properties": { "exposureLevel": 1 }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [...] }, "sourceId": null } ], "type": "FeatureCollection" }, "exposureAssessment": { "population": { "total": 53400, "total0_14": 8170, "total15_64": 34886, "total65_Plus": 10333, "households": 23524, "vulnerable": 5340 }, "capital": { "total": 10013638000, "school": 19, "hospital": 10 }, "totalByCountry": [ { "population": { "total": 53400, "total0_14": 8170, "total15_64": 34886, "total65_Plus": 10333, "households": 23524, "vulnerable": 5340 }, "country": "CAN", "capital": { "total": 10013638000, "school": 19, "hospital": 10 }, "admin0": "Canada", "admin1": null, "admin2": null, "foodNeedsUnit": "CAL", "foodNeeds": 11214000.0, "waterNeedsUnit": "liter", "waterNeeds": 16020.0, "wasteNeedsUnit": "100 liter", "wasteNeeds": 534.0, "shelterNeedsUnit": "sq meters", "shelterNeeds": 18423.0 } ], "totalByAdmin": [ { "population": { "total": 53400, "total0_14": 8170, "total15_64": 34886, "total65_Plus": 10333, "households": 23524, "vulnerable": 5340 }, "country": "CAN", "capital": { "total": 10013638000, "school": 19, "hospital": 10 }, "admin0": "Canada", "admin1": null, "admin2": null, "foodNeedsUnit": "CAL", "foodNeeds": 11214000.0, "waterNeedsUnit": "liter", "waterNeeds": 16020.0, "wasteNeedsUnit": "100 liter", "wasteNeeds": 534.0, "shelterNeedsUnit": "sq meters", "shelterNeeds": 18423.0 } ], "exposureLevels": [ { "level": "0", "data": { "population": { "total": 6700, "total0_14": 1025, "total15_64": 4377, "total65_Plus": 1296, "households": 2952, "vulnerable": 670 }, "capital": { "total": 1337854900, "school": 7, "hospital": 1 }, "totalByCountry": [ { "population": { "total": 6700, "total0_14": 1025, "total15_64": 4377, "total65_Plus": 1296, "households": 2952, "vulnerable": 670 }, "country": "CAN", "capital": { "total": 1337854900, "school": 7, "hospital": 1 }, "admin0": "Canada", "admin1": null, "admin2": null, "foodNeedsUnit": "CAL", "foodNeeds": 1407000.0, "waterNeedsUnit": "liter", "waterNeeds": 2010.0, "wasteNeedsUnit": "100 liter", "wasteNeeds": 67.0, "shelterNeedsUnit": "sq meters", "shelterNeeds": 2311.5 } ], "totalByAdmin": [ { "population": { "total": 6700, "total0_14": 1025, "total15_64": 4377, "total65_Plus": 1296, "households": 2952, "vulnerable": 670 }, "country": "CAN", "capital": { "total": 1337854900, "school": 7, "hospital": 1 }, "admin0": "Canada", "admin1": null, "admin2": null, "foodNeedsUnit": "CAL", "foodNeeds": 1407000.0, "waterNeedsUnit": "liter", "waterNeeds": 2010.0, "wasteNeedsUnit": "100 liter", "wasteNeeds": 67.0, "shelterNeedsUnit": "sq meters", "shelterNeeds": 2311.5 } ], "foodNeedsUnit": "CAL", "foodNeeds": 1407000.0, "waterNeedsUnit": "liter", "waterNeeds": 2010.0, "wasteNeedsUnit": "100 liter", "wasteNeeds": 67.0, "shelterNeedsUnit": "sq meters", "shelterNeeds": 2311.5 }, "exposureDescription": "LIMITED" }, { "level": "1", "data": { "population": { "total": 46700, "total0_14": 7145, "total15_64": 30509, "total65_Plus": 9036, "households": 20573, "vulnerable": 4670 }, "capital": { "total": 8675783100, "school": 12, "hospital": 9 }, "totalByCountry": [ { "population": { "total": 46700, "total0_14": 7145, "total15_64": 30509, "total65_Plus": 9036, "households": 20573, "vulnerable": 4670 }, "country": "CAN", "capital": { "total": 8675783100, "school": 12, "hospital": 9 }, "admin0": "Canada", "admin1": null, "admin2": null, "foodNeedsUnit": "CAL", "foodNeeds": 9807000.0, "waterNeedsUnit": "liter", "waterNeeds": 14010.0, "wasteNeedsUnit": "100 liter", "wasteNeeds": 467.0, "shelterNeedsUnit": "sq meters", "shelterNeeds": 16111.5 } ], "totalByAdmin": [ { "population": { "total": 46700, "total0_14": 7145, "total15_64": 30509, "total65_Plus": 9036, "households": 20573, "vulnerable": 4670 }, "country": "CAN", "capital": { "total": 8675783100, "school": 12, "hospital": 9 }, "admin0": "Canada", "admin1": null, "admin2": null, "foodNeedsUnit": "CAL", "foodNeeds": 9807000.0, "waterNeedsUnit": "liter", "waterNeeds": 14010.0, "wasteNeedsUnit": "100 liter", "wasteNeeds": 467.0, "shelterNeedsUnit": "sq meters", "shelterNeeds": 16111.5 } ], "foodNeedsUnit": "CAL", "foodNeeds": 9807000.0, "waterNeedsUnit": "liter", "waterNeeds": 14010.0, "wasteNeedsUnit": "100 liter", "wasteNeeds": 467.0, "shelterNeedsUnit": "sq meters", "shelterNeeds": 16111.5 }, "exposureDescription": "MODERATE" } ], "hazardUuid": "", "hazardType": "", "version": "", "timestamp": "1773426686262", "exposureDescription": "", "foodNeedsUnit": "CAL", "foodNeeds": 11214000.0, "waterNeedsUnit": "liter", "waterNeeds": 16020.0, "wasteNeedsUnit": "100 liter", "wasteNeeds": 534.0, "shelterNeedsUnit": "sq meters", "shelterNeeds": 18423.0 }, "type": "WINTERSTORM", "creator": "RICHTER", "source": null, "startedAt": 1773129747, "updatedAt": 1773426686, "endedAt": 1773483348 } ``` {% hint style="info" %} Note: Coordinate arrays have been replaced with `[...]` for brevity. In actual API responses, these contain complete GeoJSON coordinate arrays. The `incident.properties` object has been truncated with `"..."` to show only key fields. The full response includes additional CAP metadata fields such as `note`, `references`, `rawMessage`, `eventCode`, and `headlineDescription`. The `features` collection includes multiple EXPOSURE\_AREA and SMART\_ALERT features; CAP\_INFO area features (one per alert zone) are also present in the full response but not shown here. {% endhint %} --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://api-v2-docs.disasteraware.com/hazards/hazard-samples/winterstorm-sample.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. 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