Before the Cold Arrives: A Family Plan for Winter Storms and Power Outages

Use October, Not the First Ice Day

Winter storms can last a few hours or several days. They can cut off heat, power, and communication, and they put older adults, children, people who are already sick, and pets at greater risk. That is the plain language on Ready.gov's winter-weather page, last updated March 10, 2026. October is an easier time to act on it than the first night the furnace is silent.

This is not a forecast for a named storm. It is a short household list: a warm room, water, a radio, and a meeting point. Ready.gov's winter-storm sheet is worth printing and storing with the flashlights.

If a Winter Storm Warning is issued, find shelter. A watch means hazardous weather is possible. An advisory means snow, freezing rain, or sleet could become dangerous if you are careless. Sign up for local alerts, and keep a NOAA weather radio for the times the phone is quiet.

Heat People, Not the Kitchen

Close off rooms you are not using and gather in one room. Wear layers, including a hat, and set out sleeping bags before the storm. If you already have a fireplace or wood stove and you know how to run it, dry wood belongs on the list now.

Do not invent a heater. Ready.gov says to use generators and grills outdoors, away from windows, and never to heat the home with a gas oven or stovetop. An oven used that way also raises the risk of fire and burns. Generators and their fuel stay outdoors, at least 20 feet from windows, doors, and attached garages. The power-outage page repeats that distance. A garage is not "outdoors." Keep the generator dry, let it cool before you add fuel, and connect appliances with a heavy-duty cord. Install a carbon monoxide alarm on every level, and test it while you can still buy a battery. Carbon monoxide has no smell.

Hypothermia is a body temperature below 95°F, and Ready.gov calls that an emergency. Signs include shivering, exhaustion, confusion, fumbling hands, memory loss, slurred speech, and drowsiness. Move the person to a warm room, warm the center of the body first — chest, neck, head, and groin — and wrap them in dry blankets, including the head and neck.

Frostbite is loss of feeling and color in the face, fingers, or toes. Skin may be numb, white or grayish-yellow, and firm or waxy. Go to a warm room. Soak the area in warm water, or use body heat. Do not massage it, and do not use a heating pad.

Shoveling and walking in deep snow can strain the heart. Ready.gov says to avoid overexertion. Trade off the work, and go inside to warm up.

Food and Water When the Power Fails

A refrigerator keeps food cold for about 4 hours if the door stays shut. A full freezer holds about 48 hours if the door stays shut. Perishable food at 40°F or warmer should be thrown out. Those times are on Ready.gov's power-outage page. If a storm is forecast, freeze containers of water first. They steady the freezer and become drinking water later. Eat fridge food first, then what thaws, then food that was never refrigerated. Pack a manual can opener with the cans.

Store at least one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, which is Ready.gov's water guidance. If you are on a well, fill jugs while the pump still has power. If you must treat water, CDC says to hold a rolling boil for one minute, or three minutes above 6,500 feet. The bleach backup is unscented household bleach with 5 to 9 percent sodium hypochlorite: about 8 drops, or a little less than 1/8 teaspoon, per gallon of clear water. Double that if the water is cloudy, then wait 30 minutes. Do not drink water that smells like fuel.

The Car

Winter storms raise the risk of getting stranded. Ready.gov's car kit is short: jumper cables, sand, a flashlight, warm clothes, blankets, bottled water, and snacks that will not freeze solid. Keep a full tank of gas. Stay off the roads if you can. If you are trapped in the car, stay inside. Tell someone the route before you leave on a day with a warning, and keep a paper map if your usual roads lose cell service.

A phone battery that lives in the glove box only helps if you charge it once a month. Do that with the rest of the October chores.

A Place to Meet

Charge phones before the weather arrives, then write three lines on a card: a specific meeting spot near home, a second place outside the neighborhood, and one out-of-area person who can pass a message if local calls fail. Put a copy in each car and in a child's backpack.

Rally Map in StorehousePrep is where you can save those points. Family drills include a communication practice, which is an easy October afternoon. There is no separate communication-plan screen. The card is the plan.

Two Weekends

Test the carbon monoxide alarms. Find the flashlights and spare batteries. If you own a generator, start it outdoors and confirm the cord reaches from 20 feet away. If you do not own one, blankets and a closed room cover more outages than a generator bought in a hurry.

Then store the three-day water minimum, set aside no-cook food, pack the car kit, and show everyone how you would shut off the water if a pipe burst.

Prep Roadmap starts with that 72-hour list: water, food, light, a first-aid kit, small bills, document copies, and a paper contact plan. The supply tracker lets you log what you stored and compare it with a number of days. It does not track expiration dates. On the website the roadmap is free. Drills, the rally map, and PrepAI open with a short trial. The iPhone app currently includes every tool. Download a PrepAI model while you still have power if you want offline answers later.

Proverbs 27:12 is enough of a motto: the prudent see danger and take refuge. In January, refuge is a warm room, a gallon jug, and a radio. October is when those are easy to put in place. Test the carbon monoxide alarm first. Then fill one water jug.