How to Survive a Massive Winter Storm

With a historically bad winter storm expected to bring snow, ice, and sub-zero wind chills to many parts of the United States this weekend, it's a good time to make sure you're prepared for a potentially life-threatening disaster.

While winter storms are generally less deadly than hurricanes and heat waves, they can be extremely dangerous, particularly when extremely cold, wind, and ice storms cause power outages. But with a little preparation and common sense, you should be all right when it gets extra snowy and cold. Here are some tips and instructions for blizzard and winter storm survival.

Who is the winter storm likely to affect?

The map above, from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Weather Prediction Center shows the predicted course of the storm through Jan. 26. You can click the link to dig into predicted snow amounts, ice accumulation, and more, but the overall picture is a huge storm that is likely to affect more than 172 million people in the U.S. and bring record low temperatures. If you're anywhere in the affected area, take time to plan for a potential snow-and-cold disaster before it happens.

Make a blizzard emergency kit 

For a winter storm, you want to prepare for a few cold days without power. You should have a basic survival bag tucked away in an easy-to-access spot in your house for any disaster. According to the government, a boilerplate emergency kit will contain:

• Water and non-perishable food for several days

• Extra cell phone battery or charger

• Battery-powered or hand crank radio that can receive NOAA Weather Radio tone alerts and extra batteries

• Flashlight and extra batteries

• First aid kit

• Whistle to signal for help

• Dust mask to help filter contaminated air, and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter in place

• Moist towelettes, garbage bags, and plastic ties for personal sanitation

• Non-sparking wrench or pliers to turn off utilities

• Can opener (if your kit contains canned food)

• Local maps

• Extra clothing and blankets (although I bet you already know where these are in your home)

For winter storm saftey, I'd add a carbon monoxide detector, just to be as safe as possible when shut up inside your house. Here’s a handy shopping list you can take to the supermarket, complete with “extra credit” items like prescriptions medicine and games to keep you busy.

Stay home

If you only follow one rule for blizzard survival, make it this one: Do not be outside during a winter storm. If you’re home, you probably won’t be snowbound for more than a week (and even that is unlikely), and you’ll be much warmer than if you were outside.

If you are home during a blizzard or winter storm (and you should be) take the following steps:

• Stay inside.

• Don’t forget your pets. Bring them inside, too.

• Be able to access multiple sources of information about the weather, from the internet, to television, to radio, and make sure you can get updates even if the power goes out.

• If you have electric heat, crank it up as the storm approaches in case you lose power.

• Stay in a small, insulated area: To conserve heat, stay in one room as much as possible.

• Stuff towels and rags under doors to conserve heat.

• Be careful with alternative heaters like kerosene. They can start a fire, and if not properly ventilated, you can die from carbon monoxide poisoning.

• Wear layers of light clothing.

• Cover windows at night but uncover them during day to catch any heat from sunlight.

• Save batteries: Use your phone to check in on friends, family and neighbors by or to call authorities only.

Know the difference between “advisories,” “watches,” and “warnings”

As cold weather approaches, you may hear difference kinds of buzzwords for approaching storms on your NOAA weather radio and from other sources. Here’s a crash course on the relevant winter weather warnings from the National Weather Service, and what they mean, with the most severe listed first.

Warnings

A warning indicates an 80% or greater probability of conditions that pose a threat to life or property, and that travel will become difficult to impossible. In other words: “This storm is serious business.”

• Blizzard Warning: A blizzard warning means that the following conditions are occurring or expected within the next 12 to 18 hours: Snow and/or blowing snow reducing visibility to 1/4 mile or less for three hours or longer, and sustained winds of 35 mph or greater or frequent gusts to 35 mph or greater.

• Winter Storm Warning: A winter storm warning is issued when a significant combination of hazardous winter weather is occurring or imminent. That means five inches or more of snow/sleet within a 12-hour period or seven inches or more of snow/sleet within a 24-hour period, and/or enough ice accumulation to cause damage to trees or power lines. It also can mean a life-threatening or damaging combination of snow and/or ice accumulation with wind.

Watches

Watches are intended to provide enough lead time so you can make plans to stay safe. They are usually issued a day or so before the predicted event when there’s a greater than 50% chance of it happening.

• Winter Storm Watch: A winter storm watch is issued when there is the potential for significant and hazardous winter weather within 48 hours. This doesn’t mean that significant and hazardous winter weather will occur—it only means it is possible.

• Blizzard Watch: This means conditions are favorable for a blizzard event—low visibility with winds of at least 35 mph.

Advisories

Winter storm advisories indicate that less serious (but still concerning) weather conditions are possible. Remember, though, a storm can change from one condition to another, so keep checking back. Go to the National Weather Service’s site for more in-depth weather-warning information.

What to do if you are caught in your car during a blizzard or snowstorm

Being trapped in your car during a snow-mergency is bad, but not necessarily deadly. Here’s a detailed trapped-in-your-car survival guide, but here are the main points:

• Don’t panic: As survival scenarios go, being trapped in a car in a snowstorm is not that bad. It definitely beats being trapped in a snowstorm without a car.

• Make sure your tailpipe is not clogged: When you first realize you are trapped, check the exhaust pipe to make sure it’s clear. You don’t want to die of carbon monoxide poisoning.

• Indicate you are in distress to the outside world: Call 911 if you can. Tie a brightly colored cloth or ribbon to your antenna or door. If the snow stops, raise your hood.

• Stay in your vehicle: A car is an excellent survival shelter—a guy in Sweden survived in his car for two months, and he didn’t even seem to have had food or water. It is a bad idea to go walking around in a blizzard. You will get lost, cold, wet, and maybe even hit by another driver.

• Bundle up: Wear as many layers as you can with the extra clothing you packed.

• Create as small a space as possible: If you have blankets or jackets, create a little “fort” for yourself. A smaller space is easier to heat. You could try lining the windows with newspaper or those discarded fast food bags you never cleaned up.

• Run your car for 10 minutes an hour: Experts recommend starting your car and running the heater, hazard lights, and dome light for about 10 minutes per hour. Roll down the window a crack while the engine is running to avoid the possibility of inhaling carbon monoxide. Other than cold, carbon monoxide is your biggest danger.

• Don’t play on your phone: I know it’s boring to sit in the car for so long, but only use your cell to call emergency numbers. Don’t be surprised if the authorities tell you to “sit tight,” though.

• If you run out of water, drink melted snow: You can get a little moisture into your body by drinking melted snow.

What to do if you are caught outside during a blizzard

So you didn’t listen when I said to stay home, huh? Now you’re stumbling blindly through a snowstorm and freezing to death. I won’t sugar coat it: things are bad for you, and your survival depends on the severity of the storm. But here’s what to do:

• Find shelter: Get out of the wind and snow. Don’t try to make it home or wherever else you’re going if there’s somewhere safe you can wait things out.

• Cover up your exposed flesh: I imagine this would occur to you anyway, but just in case it doesn’t, cover up as much as possible to stay warm and avoid frostbite.

• Build a shelter: The National Weather Service recommends the following if you can’t find a shelter: “Build a lean-to, windbreak, or snow cave for protection from the wind. Build a fire for heat and to attract attention. Place rocks around the fire to absorb and reflect heat.” I think they’re being very optimistic. During a serious blizzard, like Minnesota’s “Children’s Blizzard” of 1888, people died yards from their houses because they got disoriented and snow-blind, so you’re probably not going to have time to build an igloo or whatever in a real blizzard. But learn wilderness survival tactics if you are likely to be at risk.

• Melt snow for water: Melting snow for water is OK, but don’t eat it frozen—that will lower your body temperature.