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November – March
Winter Storm Season
Winter Storm & Power Outage Prep 2026
Winter storms knock out power for days — sometimes weeks. Hypothermia, carbon monoxide poisoning, and frozen pipes claim more lives than the storm itself. This guide covers all three.
🔥 Stay Warm Without Power
- Identify your warmest interior room (usually smallest room away from exterior walls) — this is your "warm room"
- Seal the warm room with blankets over doors and windows to trap heat
- Mr. Heater Buddy propane heater — rated for indoor use, 4–9 hours per 1lb cylinder
- NEVER use a gas oven, charcoal grill, or generator indoors — CO poisoning kills silently
- Install battery-powered CO detectors — test them before winter
- Layer clothing: moisture-wicking base layer, insulating mid-layer, wind-blocking outer layer
- Emergency sleeping bags or 0°F rated sleeping bags for power outages lasting multiple nights
🔧 Prevent Frozen Pipes
- Know where your main water shutoff valve is — learn how to turn it off now, not during a burst
- Keep cabinet doors under sinks open to let warm air circulate around pipes
- Let faucets drip (cold and hot) during extreme cold events (below 20°F outside)
- Insulate exposed pipes in unheated spaces — basements, crawl spaces, garages
- Disconnect and drain garden hoses before the first freeze
- If pipes freeze: apply a heating pad, hair dryer, or warm towels — never use an open flame
🚗 Car Winter Emergency Kit
Most winter storm deaths happen on roads. Keep this kit in your vehicle October through April.
- Emergency car winter kit — jumper cables, tow rope, ice scraper, shovel
- Warm blanket or sleeping bag rated for at least 10°F
- High-calorie snacks (energy bars, trail mix) — enough for 24 hours
- Water — 1 liter per person (use insulated bottles so it doesn't freeze)
- Flashlight + extra batteries (LED headlamp preferred)
- Sand or cat litter for traction if stuck
- First aid kit and hand warmers
- Fully charged power bank
⚡ Home Power Outage Supply List
- 7-day supply of water (1 gallon/person/day) — fill before storm hits
- 7-day supply of non-perishable food that requires no cooking
- Battery-powered or hand-crank lantern
- NOAA weather alert radio — battery or hand-crank powered
- Extra prescription medications (at least 7-day supply)
- First aid kit
- Cash — ATMs and card readers go offline during power outages
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