How to Prepare for a Winter Storm

To quote a top-rated show and book series, winter is coming and with it comes winter storms. Depending on their severity, these storms can damage or destroy houses, knock out power grids, freeze water pipes and generally make life difficult. Knowing how to prepare for a winter storm is essential.

Climate change is altering our seasons. Summers are getting hotter, and winters are getting colder which means that we need to start preparing for extreme cold, especially if you live in a northern state. Many areas of the U.S. are already hunkering down through their first major snowstorms.

Preparing Your Home for a Winter Storm

Many of us are new at snowstorm prepping — having just moved from a city, down south, or into independent living for the first time — and snowstorms can pose a daunting challenge to the unprepared. However, prepping for a foot or two of snow is actually much easier than you might expect. Here are a few ideas on how to prepare for a snowstorm. If you’re worried about getting through a storm, here are some tips and tricks to help you weather the winter.

1. Have Your Furnace Serviced

You’ll be relying on your furnace to keep you warm during the colder winter months, so the last thing you want is for it to break down when it’s below freezing.

Before temperatures start dropping, have your furnace inspected and if necessary serviced by a professional. A little bit of preventative maintenance can save you from freezing during the winter.

During the rest of the year, keep up with the essential furnace maintenance. Change out your filters, and check the visible portions of your furnace for any signs of problems that could take your heating unit offline when you need it the most.

2. Protect Your Pipes

The pipes that bring water into your home are probably the most vulnerable parts of your home when the temperature drops. Frozen pipes can crack, pouring icy water into your home and causing hundreds or thousands of dollars in damage.

Start by taking a close look at your exterior pipes and make sure that they’re all adequately insulated. Don’t forget to check the pipes in the unheated areas of your home, like garages and basements, which are just as vulnerable.

For exterior faucets and taps, remove any hoses and empty them before you store them for the season. Even if the valve is insulated, the tube is not and can freeze, causing damage.

3. Drop the Interior Temperature

When the mercury falls, it’s tempting to crank up the heat to stay warm, but this could lead to a furnace failure. Your furnace will have to work even harder to keep the interior warm, and it might not be able to keep up with the temperature changes. Drop the thermostat to 68 or below if you can handle the cold or don’t mind layering up to keep your furnace from burning out or driving up your electric or gas bill during the winter months.

4. Have a Backup Plan

Your furnace can only keep you warm while it has power or fuel, so if you run out of gas or the electricity fails you’ll need to have a backup plan to keep your house warm.

If you’ve got a fireplace, this can provide heat, but you need to make sure to have your chimney serviced before you need it. A clogged vent can be a fire hazard and can cause smoke to build up in your home.

Consider keeping a generator or two in your garage, and use those to power things like space heaters if the power goes out.

Of course, you also need to make sure you have plenty of warm clothes that you can layer up because if push comes to shove, that will be your best way to stay warm.

5. Restock Your Storm Supplies

Getting to the grocery store in the middle of a blizzard might be possible if you’ve got the right accessories for your car, but even if you get there, chances are it will be closed. Take the time to restock your storm supplies before the temperatures drop. Ideally, you want to try to get to the store well before the panic sets in and the shelves are emptied of essentials like milk, bread and nonperishables.

A good storm supply kit should include:

• Food: Nonperishables and things that can be prepared without the use of a microwave or oven are always good choices.
• Water: If your pipes freeze or municipal water supplies fail, you will need to have water for each person in your house. Plan on having a gallon per person per day stored, or a way to purify water collected in the form of rain, sleet or melted snow.
• Communication: Cell phones are only useful until the cell towers go out. Keep a battery-powered radio tuned to the local NOAA station for weather alerts.
• First aid: Keep a fully stocked first-aid kit with your winter supplies.
• Lighting: Flashlights, candles, and oil or kerosene lanterns are all useful tools to keep your home lit even if the power goes out.

Anything you won’t be able to access during the storm easily should be kept in your winter storm kit. This includes things like pet or infant supplies and any prescription medication you will need for the duration.

6. Keep the Lights On

If you’ve got an electrical heating system in your home, it can be hard to stay warm during a storm that knocks out the power. Consider purchasing a generator or two for your home to keep power to your lights, heat and other appliances like your refrigerator running during the storm.

Make sure you don’t wire your generators into your home’s electrical system. It might seem like a good idea instead of running extension cords from the generator, but it can create dangerous feedback in the local electrical grid that could harm or kill linemen trying to restore power after the storm has passed.

Preparing Your Car for a Winter Storm

1. Snow Removal

Snow is an obstacle: it clogs up your driveway, covers your steps and otherwise prevents you from going about your day. Having a plan — and the proper tools — for getting rid of the snow should sit near the top of your prep list. Check your weather channels and have an understanding of how much snow is expected, both for the specific storm incoming and for the region throughout the year.

Many areas experience only light snows and won’t require much more than a shovel and some rock salt. However, even light snow can be a huge nuisance if you aren’t able to remove it: it can ice your windshield, soak your shoes and make your normal path treacherous and slippery. So make sure you load up on the rock salt, shovels — or even a snow blower, depending on your geography — and car brushes well ahead of the storm.

2. Tires

It’s hard to overstate the importance of snow tires. The thing is, snow tires are not really location-dependent. Assuming you are in an area that receives any snow, tires are a good — and often necessary — option. Even an inch or two of snow can have cars sliding around the roads, spinning out into ditches, and otherwise causing mayhem.

Furthermore, areas that don’t experience much snowfall are usually the areas least prepared when the snow comes. Having a good pair of snow tires can be the difference between getting to work on time and spending your day waiting for a tow.

3. Emergency Prep

Those of us not living in metropolitan areas should spend some time preparing for the worst. While snowstorms are usually not life-threatening in and of themselves, the chance that you’ll be snowed in and unable to safely get to the store remains a looming possibility throughout the winter season. Again, this is highly location-dependent: those living in rural areas should implicitly understand the importance of stockpiling food when the flakes start to fall.

A few other things to keep in mind: power lines are susceptible to going down during large snowstorms, especially in rural areas. Investing in a generator is often an excellent idea. Rentals, also available for the days the storm is at its worst, may save you some money if you don’t expect regular snowstorms. Beyond this, it is also imperative to make sure your heating is in order and to go through the proper steps to make sure it is winterized and ready for the storm.

Road conditions are also something to keep in mind: even if your house is not buried in snow, poorly-plowed roads can stop you from getting to the store. Stock up on food before the storm.

Stay Warm

Brutally cold temperatures are one of the most dangerous things that accompany winter storms, so your primary focus should be staying warm. If you have a generator powering your home’s heater, keep it fueled. Also, keep your doors closed as much as possible. Every time you open the door to go outside, some heat leaks out — meaning your heater needs to work harder to keep the interior warm.

If you don’t have a generator and the power goes out, starting a fire in your fireplace can be a good alternative. Be careful and make sure your chimney isn’t obstructed by snow before you light a fire, or smoke and carbon monoxide could build up inside your home.

Be prepared to layer up with appropriate clothing if you don’t have heat. Again, keep the doors and windows closed. Your body heat will warm the room slowly, but only if you don’t open the door and let in cold air.

You can’t do much about winter storms other than being prepared for them. Restock your supplies before the storm hits and ride it out. Being ready is the best thing you can do survive a winter storm.

Make Sure You Know How to Prepare for a Winter Storm

Putting some cash and a few hours towards these three areas can really make the difference once the snow starts to build up. Personal snow removal helps you dig out from under the drifts and get about your day, while tires help you traverse the worst roads. Finally, when the time comes to hunker down, you want to make sure you are warm and safe and that you have plenty of food and water.

For more, check out our top 12 snowstorm essentials.

Originally posted November 19, 2018 — Updated December 20, 2024