Surviving Extreme Cold and Winter Storms!

Winter kills.  Extreme cold weather is happening more often in places that are not used to it, due to the destabilizing effects of climate change. So how do we protect ourselves from the worst that our changing winters can throw our way?

Here at The Climate Advisor we have you covered! We have compiled the ultimate pile of winter prepping snow balls of bullet-pointed goodness. Over 33 websites from state and federal government, charities, home improvement websites, and bloggers, were reviewed to find the best info about surviving extreme winter weather.

We’ll start with a quick look at who is at risk for bad things, then we’ll go in depth about what you can do to protect yourself against extreme winter. So get comfy, we are going to plow deep into the many aspects of adaptation to extreme winter!

Click on the menu below to skip to that section…

• Who is at risk?
• Extreme Winter at Home
  • Before the storm
  • When a storm is coming
  • During a storm
• Extreme Winter in Your Car
  • Before winter
  • When a storm is coming
  • During the storm
• Other Important Stuff
  • Surviving outside
  • Don’t Forget!
  • Other resources

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Who is at risk?

An interesting report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) called “Deaths Attributed to Heat, Cold, and Other Weather Events in the United States, 2006–2010“ gives us some insight. The CDC researchers looked at death certificate data across the country to see what they could find out about weather-related deaths.

This first chart shows us that the cold causes death at a somewhat higher rate than heat. It also shows that infants and the elderly are most susceptible.

This next graph from the CDC shows cold-related deaths by region and community size.

“Large central metro” are areas with more than 1,000,000 people, the “small metro” are small cities with less than 250,000 people, and the “noncore” represents rural areas. From this graph it looks like the western U.S. far outpaces the Midwest and Northeast for cold-related deaths in small cities, towns and rural areas.   

Here’s a key quote from the report that sums it up:

“Subpopulations at risk for cold-related mortality (death) are … older adults, infants, males, black persons, and persons with preexisting chronic medical conditions.  Alcoholics, persons taking recreational drugs (especially alcohol), homeless persons, those with inadequate winter clothing or home heating, those who go on wilderness excursions, and those who participate in winter sports also are at increased risk of cold-related mortality.”

CDC, 2014.

A 2022 update from the CDC (below) looked at death rates for males and females in different areas. It showed that males have about twice the risk, broadly speaking, of death by cold. Males in rural and large metro areas had the highest risk of death versus females. Males tend to do more dumb things outside in rural areas, and males likely make up most of the homeless population in metro areas, which likely accounts for some of the difference.

Read more about Who Survives Winter Storms in another post on this blog.

Normal body temperature is about 98F (37C). Hypothermia happens when your body loses more heat than it produces. This can happen when you are exposed to cold weather or immersed in water and your core body temperature falls below 95F (35C).

Hypothermia is a medical emergency which can lead to organ failure and death. Treatment involves gradually rewarming the body to normal temperatures in a hospital setting.

Click for MORE INFO ON HYPOTHERMIA from the Mayo Clinic.

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So now it’s time to dig into how we can adapt ourselves to extreme cold and winter weather. If you live in Houston, Texas your preparations will be a lot different than someone living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Someone in Milwaukee probably already does a lot of this by default. But even if you live in a warm (sweltering!) place like Houston, you are not immune to a changing winter climate, as we saw in the winter of 2021 where 246 people died from an epic cold snap. So consider carefully what might apply to you in a changing world and then do what you need to do to adapt.

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Extreme Winter at Home

Let’s break winter survival at home into parts. First up, everything we should do to get our home ready for winter. Next, are the things we do to prepare for a big storm headed our way. And finally, what you can do during the storm.

If you live in a place that gets below freezing in the winter, then you probably already do a lot of this already. If you live in an area that rarely gets very cold, then you are probably like me, and get get caught scrambling to get some of this done when the weather report says a deep freeze is coming your way.

If you live in an apartment or rental, obviously you can’t do all of this, but a lot of it can still apply. The least of which is to think about it and come up with ‘what if’ plan.

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At Home – Before the Storm

Here are some important things you should do to make sure your house will be in the best shape to weather any winter extremes…

• Insulate! Insulation prevents heat loss, wasted energy, broken pipes, and ice dams. These measures will also save on cooling costs in the summer! Wow!
  • Insulate your attic. This prevents wasted heat and also keeps ice dams from forming. (Several sources said “insulate your walls”, well that would be difficult if your house is already built. You’d have to hire a contractor to drill holes in your walls to blow in insulation. Pain in the butt, but maybe worth it.
    
    Or perhaps if you have siding on your house, when you go to replace it you can get new sheet insulation installed and air gaps filled. Check this article out on this topic. I have no idea who these people are, but I like the article!
  • Caulk gaps and cracks in window and door jambs. And use weatherstripping around the parts that open and close. An easy fix.
  • Tape clear plastic over your windows. I remember this fondly from when I was a kid. We’d tape the fancy clear plastic over the windows then heat shrink it with a blow drier. It was clear as glass, tight as a drum, and it really cut down on cold air leaking in or cold radiating from the window. This is an easy one you can do if you rent your house or live in an apartment.
  • If you have the cash you could always install new double paned windows — the Cadillac of things to do to insulate your house. I had a sliding glass door replaced and the difference to the old door is unbe
  • Insulate your water heater with a water heater blanket. Well that probably won’t keep your home warmer, but it can lower your energy bill and carbon footprint. Also, I wrote a blog post about insulating your water heater. 🙂
    

• Get your plumbing ready! — Both inside and outside your house, and don’t forget about your sprinkler system, if you have one.
  • Insulate any pipes in attics, crawl spaces or unheated areas. You can do that with pipe wrap or foam covers. In the southwest and western U.S., most pipes run through the attic, and are thus at risk during a prolonged cold snap. Some piping runs under houses and can be accessed through a crawl space. Probably best to let a pro insulate your pipes in that case.
  • Shutoff and drain your outside water valves, or if you can’t do that, then be sure any exposed pipe is covered in pipe wrap or just cover the whole faucet with one of those cheapo foam covers which is what I do. Also, don’t forget to drain your hoses and store them inside or in your garage.
  • Do it yourself or get a lawn pro to turn off your sprinklers and blow out the lines with compressed air. If you live in the southern half of the US you can probably skip this, as it would take an extremely prolonged stretch of sub-freezing temps to freeze the ground, although any exposed piping would be in danger and should be insulated!
  • If you are going to be out of town for any part of the winter you should consider shutting off the water to your house and draining your pipes. This might be a good idea even if you live in a warmer climate and are traveling during the winter as cold snaps happen, and may happen more often with a changing climate.
  • If you are in a more rural area and get your water from a well, make sure that the wellhead and piping is insulated too!

• Prevent ice dams. I saw this soak a wall once a long time ago when I was a kid. If you live at elevation, in the west, midwest or northeastern US, where snow accumulates on your roof — it’s probably more of a thing. Prevent them.
  • Check your roof for damaged shingles or flashing. You can go up on the roof yourself or use binoculars, or just hire someone to inspect it. Have it repaired before the first snowfall (of course).
  • Insulate your attic, as above. Heat escaping from your house into your attic can cause snow to melt on the roof if it gets warm enough. The melting snow refreezes causing other melting water to back up under the roofing, which can cause water to trickle down your interior walls (that’s an ice dam!). Who needs that?
  • Ventilate your attic. This keeps it from getting warm enough to melt the snow on the roof. This is usually done by a roofer or other folks with experience doing this. Here’s a great short article on that (I have no idea about the company that wrote it but it’s a nice summary).
  • Clean your gutters. Gutters full of leaves hold water and freeze up, possibly contributing to an ice dam.
  • There are other fancy things to prevent ice dams, like electric heaters and rubber membranes. I’m gonna guess and say that the time to do that is before winter starts.

• Other important household stuff. Don’t miss these items!
  • Trim tree branches that might hit your roof if weighed down with snow or iceIf you have a wood burning fireplace or stove, get your chimney inspected and cleaned. This is probably one of those once a year things. Keep your fireplace flue closed when not using it.Test your smoke detectors and change batteries if needed. Many smoke detectors usually have a life of 5 to 10 years, so be sure yours are not out of date.Install battery powered carbon monoxide detectors! Especially important if you burn wood in a fireplace or wood stove, or you plan to if the power goes out. Also a good idea if you will use a kerosene heater. Even if you use central gas or oil heating, problems can occur and exhaust can back up into your house. See the blurb on carbon monoxide below.Get your heating system inspected by a reputable HVAC company… BEFORE winter starts. You don’t want your heating system crapping out in the middle of a cold snap or blizzard. Plus if you have to call the repair guys during the cold snap, you will be freezing your butt off for while, as they get around to repairing the systems of all the other unfortunate souls. And you are sure to pay lots more. It costs me $75 a year to get my system checked. Money well spent.
  • Make sure your heating vents are not blocked by furniture or other items.
  • Change the air filters in your furnace. Clean filters helps the furnace to operate efficiently and reduces chance of a breakdown.
  • Keep a fire extinguisher handy. Preferably the dry chemical type that works on multiple types of fire.
• Move any snow moving equipment (snow blower, shovels, etc.) to the front of your garage and make sure it’s all in good working order
  • Make sure you know where the water shut off valve is for your residence, that it is good working order, and you can easily get to it in the event a pipe breaks.

How to find a good contractor – First, I go with recommendations from friends and coworkers. Then I’ll plug that into Angie’s List, then Yelp, then Google. If the reviews are mostly positive then I might go with them. Even if there are a couple of negative reviews, I may still go with them. Somebody’s always gonna complain, even for the best of companies. If the company responds to negative reviews professionally, that adds to their cred. (If you’ve got a better way, please let us know in the comments below!)

• Get your home winter survival kit ready for another season…
  • Make sure you have a battery powered radio with spare batteries. One that can tune into NOAA weather reports is best.
  • have at least one good snow shovel! You might have to dig yourself or your vehicles out of the snow.
  • Buy enough bags of rock salt or sand to cover slippery sidewalks or driveways around your home.
  • stockpile sufficient warm blankets for everyone in your house or apartment. Washing or airing them out before winter starts might be a good idea.
  • Having a small camp stove could be handy if you normally cook with electricity. Make sure you have fuel for it too. Butane stoves are safer than other types and generally work well. (I used mine to make coffee after I lost power during Hurricane Harvey – thanks the gods!).
  • Be sure you have adequate means to store water before a storm arrives. The typical advice is one gallon per person per day, which could be a lot of water containers or bottled water if you have a large family. If there is snow, you can always melt and boil that to drink, assuming you have a way to do that.
  • Replenish or rotate your emergency food stocks. You should have 5 to 7 days worth of food for everyone in your household. Don’t forget about your pets either! (see below)
  • A way to charge your electronic and medical devices, in case the power goes out. I have several lithium battery solar generators (sogens for short) and solar panels that work great. I like Bluetti sogens, but Ecoflow and Jackery are great too!
    • If you are dependent on a CPAP or other medical device that needs power, you’d better be sure this is ironed out in advance! Not only for winter, but year round.
  • Buy or replace small but important items, such as flashlights, batteries, power packs, etc., that you might need.
• Have a family communications plan, especially if you have family members that will be traveling or otherwise separated. This part can not be stressed enough and is critical for family preparedness.

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At Home – When a Storm is Coming

Just like a hurricane and many other weather events, there are usually at least a few days warning that it’s coming.

If you are monitoring the weather report you may learn of a big storm coming your way (a “winter storm warning”, see below). If you have made the preps listed above, then you are in good shape. Next up would be to make sure you have enough supplies and in case the worst happens.

Many big winter storms can potentially trap you in your house, cause the power to go out, and interrupt your phone and internet services. This is especially true of storms that cause a lot of ice damage. These effects could last for days or even weeks. So when you hear of a big storm coming it’s time to get ready.

Top off your “Bug In” bag or kit. “Bug Out” bags are a preper’s favorite, a bag with important survival gear that you take when fleeing your home due to natural disaster or other contingency.

For “bugging in” otherwise know as being “snowed in”, you don’t have to have it all in the same place or bag, though that might not be a bad idea.

Generally, before a storm we should have the following items on hand and do the following tasks…

• Check your winter survival gear discussed above.
• Get refills of any prescription medications that you are running low on! That way you don’t have to put yourself at risk driving to the pharmacy during the worst part of the storm or afterwards when the roads are icy.
• Store enough water, generally a gallon per person, per day for 5 to 7 days (more is better!). And put it inside so it doesn’t freeze! You could also consider filling up your bathtub, which could be used to flush toilets if your pipes break or your town’s water supply loses power (this actually happened during the big Texas freeze in 2021, and was the main reason I installed a 60 gallon rain barrel (blog post).
• At least three days of non-perishable food (probably more!) I keep a couple of boxes of Mountain House dehydrated food on a closet shelf. It has a supposed shelf life of 30 years.
• Get your car ready (more below)
• Bring your pets in (more below)
• Check on disabled or elderly friends and family to make sure they are safe and prepared (more below)
• Get your alternate source of heat ready, such as electric space heaters, kerosene heaters, wood stove, etc. and make sure you have enough fuel and a plan to use it safely.
• If you have gas cans for extra fuel for generators or kerosene heaters, consider topping them off. Gas stations might run out if the fuel trucks stop coming due to the weather. Use caution when transporting and using fuel (duh). Do not use generators or fossil fuel heaters inside, unless you like carbon monoxide poisoning.
• Charge up your portable power supplies
• Review your emergency plan with your family.

Many of these things are not only important for winter, but also for general preparedness anytime of year!

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At Home – During a Storm

Okay, so now the raging winter vortex, blizzard, Arctic blast with a name has hit your town. Time to hunker down and enjoy how comfy and well prepared you are!

• Here are some things to do to make sure everything goes smoothly…
  • If the temperature outside is going to be below freezing for a while, and the power is out or your pipes are not well protected, consider turning on a few water faucets inside your house to a slow drip. This will keep the water from freezing inside your pipes and causing a rupture. That would be bad.
  • In bathrooms and kitchens, especially (or maybe only) those with outside walls, open up the cabinet and closet doors so warmer air from the main part of the house can keep pipes above freezing.
  • avoid driving during the worst of the storm (more below)
  • stay tuned to local media and your weather apps for storm updates
  • keep the thermostat a little higher than you might otherwise if you plan on leaving your house for an extended period. For example, if you were going on vacation or going to another family member or friend’s house to weather the storm, you might put your thermostat at 50 – 60F, instead of trying to shave it close at 40F, for example. As mentioned before, shutting off the water to your house is probably a good idea if you will not be there.
  • wear layers of clothing. Multiple layers trap your body’s heat better than one thick layer.
  • some people close the vents and shut the doors to unused rooms, but only do this if there are no water pipes in the ceiling or walls of that room. Also, keep in mind that interior walls typically have no insulation, so this might not be as helpful as you think, at least as long as you have power and heat.

• If the power goes out…
  • dress in warm layers. Multiple thinner layers trap heat better than one thick layer.
  • snuggle under the blankets with loved ones or new friends
  • now might be the time to close off unoccupied parts of your house or apartment and concentrate people in one area.
  • use alternative sources of heat with extreme caution
  • if the power is out for more than a day, put your refrigerated food items in the garage or on the balcony and the frozen food items outside. Protect it from hungry animals!
  • some prepper folks talk about using candles and oil lamps for light. That is probably NOT a good idea as many houses fires are started every year by candles. And while a house fire might keep you toasty warm for a while, the long term consequences suck.
  • Having enough LED lights and lamps, and spare power, should be a goal. And with modern LEDs, the power usage is pretty low, so they can last a very long time if used wisely. I bought these LED lamps and rechargeable D-cells. Love them. Very bright and many settings. Keep the batteries out of them so they don’t discharge until you are ready to use them.

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Extreme Winter In Your Car

In the past when I lived in a wintery climate, I would often drive during the worst of a winter storm, usually for work or to get to work. Kinda fun, kinda nerve wracking. Be prepared whatever you do.

Let’s split it up into preparation for winter, during winter, and what happens if you get stuck.

Your Car – Before Winter Starts

• To get your car or truck ready…
  • make sure your car is in good shape by regularly servicing it yourself or having a reliable pro do it. Personally, I like to do everything I can possibly do on my own. That way if I get stranded somewhere I can potentially fix my own car and keep on driving. For example, I once disconnected the front drive shaft of my four wheel drive truck on the side of a busy freeway after one of the u-joints blew out. Fortunately, I had a small tool bag with me and was familiar enough with my truck to know what was wrong and what to do about it.
  • Some specific items to get tested or serviced include… brakes, cooling system, defrosters, heater, ignition, battery and emergency flashers.
  • top off all of your vehicle’s fluids, including the antifreeze, windshield wiper fluid, etc. Use wiper fluid that is rated for freezing weather. Nothing is worse than spraying plain water on your freezing cold windshield… instant whiteout. I speak from experience, of course.
  • make sure the tread on your tires is still good, and consider changing to all-season or snow tires if you live in a place that gets regular snow during the winter. I like TireRack.com to research different tires, then I go buy them at my local tire shop.
  • Don’t forget to check your spare tire and make sure it has enough air in it! (Also speaking from experience!)
    
    

Watch the following video from YouTuber Chris Fixx. His videos are mesmerizing. 🙂

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Your Car – When a storm is coming

I used to live in a big snowy western city and had a “winter bag” that I tossed in my truck at the start of fall.  In the bag I kept a down jacket, a wool blanket, two bottles of water, a few protein bars, a folding snow shovel, and some other odds and ends.  Just enough to see me through if I got stuck in the snow for a while. Of course, you’d want to pack this well before any storms, probably at the beginning of the winter season, but better late than never.

• Water, a couple of bottles in plastic (in case they freeze)
• A small, old pot or metal can to melt snow for drinking water and a way to melt it (stove, heating pads, etc). If you live in the city or suburbs this is probably excessive, but if you live in a rural area or are going on a long road trip, it’s probably a good idea.
• Snacks, like energy bars, nuts and/or dried fruit. I usually keep a bag of nuts or trail mix in my car at all times.
• Snow shovel. I like the plastic collapsible kind (there are nicer ones, but this cheapo plastic one I have had for years) and this is something I have definitely used to dig my truck out in the past.
• LED Flashlight and spare batteries. See below!
• Old blanket(s)
• Maybe a spare winter coat or sweater
• Keep your gas tank at least 3/4 full at all times during storm season (which of course also goes for any other type of extreme weather events you might be at risk for).
• A can or two of spare air, Fix-A-Flat, or a compressor that runs off your car battery.
• A small tool kit, jumper cables, flares or reflectors, and all the other stuff you’d carry at any other time of the year.

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Your Car – During the Storm

First off, hopefully you stayed home when you knew the storm was coming. Sometimes that’s unavoidable. I remember working for an environmental services company a long time ago. I had to drive to gas stations in the middle of nowhere in the mountains and deserts of Arizona. More than once I got caught driving through blizzard conditions through the mountains.

Luckily, I never got stranded. Probably due to my trusty Ford Ranger 4×4 I drove at the time, plus my mad snow driving skills I learned growing up. Also, many of these trips were overnighters, so I had all my gear with me, plenty of snacks and drinks for the road, so even if I had been stranded, I would’ve been fine for a while.

If you do have to travel during a winter storm…

• travel with someone if you can, a passenger, or convoy with another vehicle
• stay on main roads unless you want to end up living on taco sauce packets.
• let someone responsible know where you are going and when you will return
• make sure all your vehicle’s fluids are topped off
• make sure your winter survival kit is in your vehicle (more above)

If you get stranded in the snow! …

The main concerns if you get stranded are 1) staying warm, 2) having water to drink, and 3) being found. If you get stranded, here are some tips…

• stay with your vehicle, it is a ready made shelter and source of supplies (either stocked or improvised)
• If there are more than one of you, take turns staying awake in case rescuers are nearby
• the only reason to leave your vehicle is if you are in the backcountry and you are reasonably sure nobody knows where you are or when you were supposed to come back, or maybe there are other dangerous conditions you need to get away from.
  • which is another important point… If you are going to a remote area then let someone trustworthy know where you went, and when to expect you back.
• if you have supplies in your trunk, move them to the cabin so you don’t have to go back and forth and let heat out each time you open the door
• crack the window a tiny bit to let fresh air and oxygen in
• bundle up
  • if you don’t have a sleeping bag, blankets or a spare coat in your vehicle, improvise. Use papers, rags, floor mats, seat covers, whatever you have handy.
• Keep your cell phone close to your body to keep the cold from draining your battery
  • turn off energy eating features like wi-fi and bluetooth
  • charge your phone while your car is running
  • or maybe you had a USB power pack with you for just such an occasion. Keep this close to your body also to keep it warm and fully functional.
• Run your car engine periodically so you can turn the heat on
  • open the window a tiny bit for ventilation
  • make sure the snow is not covering your tailpipe or you may end up with carbon monoxide poisoning… and die 🙁
  • never fall asleep with the engine running. All manner of bad things could happen, the least of which would be running out of fuel.
  • electric cars seem to be at least as capable as gas cars with regards to heating the interior!
• Never eat snow (where the huskies go!). It will give you hypothermia. Instead melt the snow in any container available. If you don’t have a water bottle, maybe there is a discarded soda can or bottle on your floor you could use.
• dig out and expose your car periodically. this allows rescuers to more easily find you, and for snow plows not to run you over.
• If you have to leave your vehicle, indicate to potential rescuers what direction you went in, leave a note or an arrow or something
• If you were stranded in the snow in the city, you might hike your way home if it’s not too far. So a good pair of snow boots, pants and jacket might be good to keep in your car. Definitely a last resort.

Even if you did not prepare ahead, fret not, you will probably live. Just ask the guy who got stuck in the snow in the backcountry and lived for five days on taco sauce packets.

The guy had a full tank of gas and his dog with him. He ran his truck periodically to warm up, and lived off melted snow and taco sauce packets. You can live a long time with just water, and as long as you don’t get hypothermia, you will be okay for a while.

Check out these interesting stats from the Federal Highway Administration about the impacts of bad weather on driving. Wet pavement has the biggest impact, but snow and ice aren’t far behind. Wet pavement probably wins because it can rain anytime of the year, whereas snow mostly happens in the winter.

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Other Important Stuff!

This section is a grab bag of related extreme cold and winter topics, including some links to surviving outside, taking care of your pets, checking on those with special needs, and some links to some other resources.

Surviving Outside During Winter

Assuming you are not intentionally cold weather camping, and are unlucky enough to be stranded outside in winter weather, your priorities are pretty much the same as being stuck in your car – staying warm, having water to drink, and being found. This is a whole topic unto itself, and we’ll just refer you to some other sites as it is outside the scope of this blog.

Here’s a list of sites I found doing a few web searches. I’m sure you could find many more….

• Here’s an extensive blog about winter survival outside from ThePrepared.com – Wow!
• Here’s an article from GearPatrol.com showing three different types of snow shelters.
• Winter shelter building from OutdoorLife.com
• An article about winter survival for hunters from the venerable Field and Stream Magazine.

Just for fun, and because I fell in one once when snowboarding… An easy shelter I learned about a long time ago, is a tree well. A tree well is the snow free area under a tree that is protected by the snow built up around the base of the tree. This can also be dangerous if you fall into one unexpectedly, but I suspect if you are digging into one intentionally, then the danger is low. Here’s a great video about the dangers of tree wells from deepsnowsafety.org…

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Don’t Forget!

• Don’t forget about your pets and other animals!
  • Pet Safety in Emergencies from the venerable CDC
  • Disaster Preparedness from the ASPCA
  • You also might want to make a disaster kit for your pet, especially if you are leaving your house (extra food, collapsible bowl, leash, grooming items, medicines, etc.)
• And don’t forget to check on isolated friends and family because they are at greater risk.
  • Here’s an actually pretty good summary from a company that makes heating mats to melt snow and ice! (I have no idea it their mats work, but the article makes good sense.)
• Older adults should have an easy to read thermometer indoors where it can be seen often. Older persons have a reduced ability to sense temperature changes and are at greater risk from extreme cold (and extreme heat for that matter!).

Other Resources

• Weather apps! Great for monitoring incoming storms. Be sure to enable alerts. There are many excellent weather and radar apps out there. MyRadar, RadarScope (an app for weather wonks), Weather Underground, and StormRadar are all great apps. I have all of them on my iPad and phone, and actually paid for the MyRadar and RadarScope apps. These are for the iPhone, but they are also available for Android users.
• Red Cross -Winter Storm Safety – great info on how to prepare in advance, and what to do during a snow emergency
• CDC – Winter Weather Safety – detailed articles on winter safety

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Summing it up…

An ounce of prevention (or prepping) is worth a pound of cure (or costly repairs and medical bills). The more you do in advance, the better off you are. And you don’t have to do it all at once! Break it down into an item or two a weekend. Chipping away at it –you will get it all done in good time. So have at it, and good luck!

This article is for your entertainment and does not constitute any sort of technical, medical or other advice. Do your homework, get ready, be prepared.

Do you have any other suggestions, and what will you do to prepare for winter in our changing climate?

Cover picture from Pixabay