How to Prepare Your Household for Winter Storms and Extreme Cold

A winter storm can arrive as heavy snow, freezing rain, or a full blizzard — high winds combined with blowing snow that cut visibility to almost nothing. Extreme cold often follows in its wake, and sometimes needs no storm at all: a still, clear night can drop temperatures low enough to be lethal within hours. Together, these hazards down power lines, close roads, freeze water pipes, and push heating systems to their limit. Every winter, cold causes serious harm — hypothermia, frostbite, carbon monoxide poisoning from indoor heating gone wrong, road accidents, and heart attacks brought on by shovelling heavy snow — and nearly all of it is preventable. A few straightforward steps protect against the worst of it.

Cold affects everyone differently. Older adults, infants and young children, pregnant people, anyone with a heart, lung, or circulatory condition, people experiencing homelessness or unstable housing, outdoor workers, and anyone without reliable heating all face far greater risk. Wind makes it worse: wind chill can make the air feel dramatically colder than the thermometer shows, and frostbite can start on exposed skin within minutes once it drops low enough. Cold snaps don't always announce themselves the way a summer heatwave does — a sudden overnight temperature drop can catch a household completely unprepared.

The good news is that most winter harm is preventable. A household with reliable heat (and a safe backup), a stocked pantry, a plan for frozen pipes, and a habit of checking on the people and animals in its care comes through a winter storm or a cold snap far better than one caught by surprise. This guide walks through what to do before, during, and after.

Understand Your Risk

A winter storm brings heavy snow, freezing rain, or ice, often with strong winds that cut visibility and make roads impassable — 15 cm or more of snowfall within a few hours can strand vehicles and shut down roads quickly. A blizzard is the most severe form: sustained winds typically above 40 km/h combined with heavy or blowing snow for several hours or more. Extreme cold doesn't need a storm to be dangerous — a calm, clear night with a sharp temperature drop can be just as harmful, especially without reliable heating.

• Wind chill multiplies the danger. The "feels-like" temperature from wind matters more than the number on the thermometer — frostbite risk climbs sharply once wind chill drops to around -28°C or below, a threshold several national weather and health services use to trigger their most serious warnings.
• Ice, not snow, is often the bigger hazard — on roads, pavements, roofs, and power lines. A coating of ice just a few millimetres thick can bring down branches and power lines that shrug off much heavier snow.
• Know your local warnings. Sign up for official winter-weather alerts, and keep ReadyEssentials notifications on — the app sends a severe-weather alert with safety guidance when a winter storm or extreme cold is forecast for your area.

Prepare Before a Winter Storm

• Service your heating and know your backup plan. Have your system checked before winter, and plan how you'd stay warm without it — see How to Prepare Your Home for a Power Outage. Test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and replace their batteries.
• Insulate and protect your pipes. Insulate exposed pipes in garages, basements, and outside walls, know your main water shut-off, and let taps drip during severe cold. A freeze or burst can cut off running water without warning — see How to Prepare for a Water Supply Cutoff.
• Stock up before the storm arrives. Keep several days of drinking water and food that doesn't need cooking, plus any regular medications, a battery or hand-crank radio, torches, and spare batteries. Warm bedding and extra layers matter as much as food once the power goes out.
• Winterise the car. Check tyres, antifreeze, and the battery, and keep the tank at least half full so fuel lines don't freeze. Keep a winter kit onboard — blankets, warm clothing, a torch, a shovel, and traction grit — it overlaps closely with What to Pack in a Go Bag: The Complete 72-Hour Evacuation Kit Checklist.
• Never plan to heat with anything that burns fuel indoors. Generators, camping stoves, gas grills, and charcoal all produce carbon monoxide — an invisible gas that can kill in an enclosed space. Plan a safe backup heat source now, rather than reaching for one of these once the power is already out.

During a Winter Storm or Extreme Cold

• Stay indoors and keep the heat in. Close off rooms you don't need, block draughts under doors, and close curtains at night. Many health agencies recommend keeping the rooms you use most to at least around 18°C.
• Layer up — indoors too, if the heating is struggling. Loose layers trap warmth better than one thick layer: a moisture-wicking base, an insulating middle layer, and a windproof, waterproof outer layer. Cover your head, hands, and feet, and change out of wet clothing fast — you lose heat far faster when wet.
• If you must use an alternative heat source, ventilate it. Never run a generator, gas stove, or any charcoal or gas burner indoors or in an attached garage, even with a window open. Fit and test carbon monoxide alarms, and never leave a portable heater unattended overnight.
• Travel only if essential. If you must drive, tell someone your route, keep your winter kit close, and keep the exhaust pipe clear of snow if you idle the engine — a blocked tailpipe can push carbon monoxide back into the cabin.
• Check on at-risk people at least once a day — elderly relatives, neighbours living alone, and anyone without reliable heating.

Recognise and Treat Cold-Weather Illness

Hypothermia — a dangerous drop in body temperature. Signs: uncontrollable shivering (which can stop as it worsens — a serious warning sign, not a good one), confusion or slurred speech, drowsiness or unusual clumsiness, and slow, shallow breathing. → Move the person somewhere warm, remove any wet clothing, and warm their body gradually with dry blankets or layers, focusing on the chest and torso first. Give warm (not hot) drinks only if they're fully alert. If they become confused, drowsy, or lose consciousness, call emergency services immediately — severe hypothermia is a medical emergency.

Frostbite — freezing of the skin and underlying tissue, most common on fingers, toes, ears, and the nose. Signs: numbness or tingling, skin that turns white, greyish-yellow, or waxy, and skin that feels hard or firm to the touch. → Get out of the cold, remove wet or tight clothing, and warm the area gradually with body heat or lukewarm (never hot) water. Don't rub or massage frostbitten skin — it can damage the tissue further. Seek medical care, especially if numbness persists or blisters form. → For the step-by-step response, see the in-app first-aid card Hypothermia.

After the Storm Passes

• Check your home for damage — roof stress from snow load, burst or leaking pipes, and downed branches or power lines nearby. Treat any downed line as live and stay well away.
• Watch for delayed symptoms in anyone who was out in the cold — frostbite damage and the effects of hypothermia can worsen hours after exposure ends.
• Be careful clearing snow. Shovelling heavy, wet snow is strenuous and raises the risk of a heart attack, especially for anyone older or with a heart condition — pace yourself, take breaks, and ask for help if you can.
• Check food safety if the power was out — anything that spent extended time above a safe fridge temperature may need to be thrown out.
• Restock what you used, and note what worked and what didn't so you're readier next time.

Keeping Vulnerable People and Pets Safe

Cold hits some households harder than others. Check in on older adults, infants and young children, pregnant people, and anyone with a heart, lung, or circulatory condition at least once a day — a standing agreement with neighbours or family about who checks on whom makes this far more likely to happen. Anyone experiencing homelessness or unstable housing is at extreme risk in a cold snap; know your local emergency shelter options and share them if you can.

Pets feel the cold too. Shorten walks and protect paws from road salt and ice — booties or paw balm help — and never leave a pet outdoors or in a parked car. Outdoor and farm animals need extra bedding, shelter from wind, and a reliable way to reach unfrozen water once temperatures stay below freezing.