Top winter storm essentials to prepare: What to keep at home to stay safe and warm before the snow starts
These tips can keep you safe in the event you lose power, telephone service or heat for more than a day during a winter storm.
FILE: How to prepare your home for the winter season
Gina Wilken, Public Affairs Specialist for State Farm, provides tips and tricks on how people can prepare their homes for the winter season.
Winter storms bring a multitude of risks to your home and physical health and preparation for them should be taken just as seriously as other extreme weather events like hurricanes or tornadoes.
To stay prepared for winter storm season, the National Weather Service reminds you to do some key things ahead of a winter storm to keep you safe in your home or at work for more than a day without heat, power or phone service.
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Luis Cabrera and Carlos Toro, left to right, clear snow on the sidewalk in front of the Butchers Tale Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023 in downtown Minneapolis, Minn.
(Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via Getty Images / Getty Images)
How to stay warm when the power goes out
If your home is heated by propane or another heating source that has to be filled by a fuel carrier, make sure to do it before a winter storm hits. If you end up stuck in your home and run out of heat, the fuel carriers may not be able to reach you for several days.
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And always make sure you have an emergency heat source in your home during winter storm season. A fireplace, wood stove or space heater can do the trick to heat your home in an emergency. Just make sure whatever back-up heating source you use is properly ventilated to not cause a fire.
A wood-burning stove at a home in Whimple, East Devon. Picture date: Friday January 10, 2025.
(Yui Mok/PA Images)
Keep these critical supplies on hand
Make sure to have flashlights with extra batteries on hand in case the power goes out during a winter storm.
Keep a stock of water and shelf-stable food handy that doesn't require refrigeration or heat to eat.
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Shoppers exit a grocery store during a winter storm ahead of the Iowa caucus in Des Moines, Iowa, US, on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024.
(Al Drago/Bloomberg / Getty Images)
Things like nuts, dried fruits, granola bars, cereal, canned or packaged tuna or chicken and meat jerky are good examples of foods that are generally shelf-stable and don't require cooking or refrigeration.
Always have extra prescription medicine at the ready and make sure to have a stocked first-aid kit you can use in an emergency with bandages, over-the-counter medications like acetaminophen and ibuprofen, a thermometer, antibiotic ointment, gauze, tweezers and cotton swabs, hand sanitizer, alcohol swabs and adhesive tape.
If you have a baby, stock diapers and formula, and if you have pets, make sure to keep pet food and warm shelter to keep them safe.
UNITED STATES - JANUARY 6: Magnus, a Newfoundland, plays during a snow storm in Stanton Park on Capitol Hill, on Monday, January 6, 2025.
(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc )
To stay informed in the event of a power and telephone service outage, purchase a battery-powered NOAA weather radio and a portable radio.
Download the free FOX Weather app to receive critical alerts for free and track the winter storm with live radar.
Ways to prepare your home
Things you can do to keep your home safe in the event of any emergency, not just a winter storm can help you, too.
Test fire alarms and smoke detectors in your home monthly to ensure they're working.
CANAJOHARIE, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES - JANUARY 07: A snowman flag is seen on the front of a house during a powerful winter storm which brought as much as 14 inches of snow to the Northeast, on January 7, 2024 in the village of Canajoharie, N.Y.
(Paul Hennessy/Anadolu / Getty Images)
Check carbon monoxide alarms and keep debris and snow cleared from them before and after a winter storm.
Review generator safety tips if you have an emergency generator at your disposal.
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Also, review ways to prevent a home fire, in the event you need to stay warm without a main heating source.