Snow-covered open field under a clear blue winter sky
Clear skies after a storm are the easy part. The work happens before the first flake.

What a storm brings

Winter storms range from a few inches of snow over several hours to a blizzard with total whiteout conditions that lasts for days. They are worth taking seriously: these systems arrive with dangerously low temperatures, strong winds, sleet, icing and freezing rain, often all in the same event.

The precautions below are the ones to take in advance of a winter storm warning — once the warning is issued, shelves empty fast and roads get worse by the hour.

Essential supplies

Three days is the planning baseline. Build the kit once, check it every fall, and replace what you used last season.

3 days

Minimum supply of water and non-perishable food to have on hand before a storm.

1 gallon

Water per person, per day — the figure every emergency kit is built around.

Every fall

How often to check batteries, rotate food and restock what was used last winter.

  • WaterExtremely important. At least a three-day supply, one gallon per person per day.
  • FoodAt least three days of non-perishable food. Don't forget food for pets.
  • FlashlightsOne per person if you can, kept somewhere everyone knows.
  • BatteriesSized for the flashlights and radio you actually own.
  • First aid kitStocked and in date, not the one from the last house.
  • Multi-purpose toolPliers, blade and driver in one, for the jobs that come up mid-storm.
  • RadioBattery powered or hand crank, so the forecast survives the power going out.
  • SanitationPersonal hygiene supplies for a household with no running water.
  • Tools and suppliesDuct tape, rope and the basics for securing the house.
  • Sand or rock saltKeeps steps, walkways and driveways from turning into an ice rink.
  • Alternate heatA fireplace, or a wood or coal burning stove, for when the furnace has no power.

Storm equipment

Supplies get you through the storm. Equipment gets you out of it: generators to carry the essential circuits through an outage, chain saws for the limbs that come down under ice, and snow blowers and shovels to open the drive once it stops.

Buy the equipment before the season, not during the warning — and run the generator and the blower once in the fall so you find the dead battery or the stale fuel in October rather than in a blizzard.

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