Mid-latitude cyclones cause far less damage than tropical cyclones or hurricanes . Hurricanes involve much greater amounts of atmospheric energy exchange. As one goes away from the equator, the energy available to fuel a weather system decreases as the amount of solar radiation and heat declines. Mid-latitude cyclones can have winds as strong as what is associated with a weak hurricane. But, this is a rare occurrence.
Frontal cyclones tend to be most disruptive to human activity during winter months.
Winter storms can produce heavy snowfalls or freezing rain which slows down transportation, snaps powerlines, and kills vegetation. GOES false color satellite image of the ice storm of January 1998. In the image, the center of the mid-latitude cyclone is located over the Great Lakes. The weight of ice collapsed many power-transmission towers leaving some areas without electricity for almost two weeks. Freezing rain from the 1998 ice storm also took its toll on many trees.