Winter storm preparedness

Winter storms kill more Americans each year than hurricanes, tornadoes, or floods. They kill people in ways that are almost entirely preventable: hypothermia in unheated homes, carbon monoxide poisoning from generators and heaters run without ventilation, and car accidents on ice. In February 2021, a winter storm knocked out power to 4.5 million Texas households for days in temperatures that dropped to single digits. More than 200 people died — the majority from hypothermia and CO poisoning, not the cold itself.

Unlike hurricanes and wildfires, winter storms rarely require evacuation. They require staying home safely. The planning problem is maintaining warmth, water, and power for 3–14 days when external infrastructure has failed.

Cold injury: frostbite and hypothermia

Hypothermia occurs when core body temperature drops below 95°F (35°C). This is not only a concern in extreme cold — hypothermia can develop at temperatures as mild as 60°F (16°C) with wind and moisture. Early symptoms include uncontrolled shivering, confusion, slurred speech, and loss of coordination. As it progresses: shivering stops (a dangerous sign — the body has lost its warming reflex), mental function deteriorates, and cardiac arrest becomes possible.

Frostbite requires air temperature below freezing, but wind dramatically accelerates tissue damage. The wind chill equivalent temperature — what exposed skin "feels" in terms of heat loss — determines how quickly frostbite develops:

Air temp	Wind speed	Wind chill	Frostbite risk
20°F (-7°C)	15 mph (24 km/h)	6°F (-14°C)	30 minutes
10°F (-12°C)	20 mph (32 km/h)	-9°F (-23°C)	30 minutes
0°F (-18°C)	20 mph (32 km/h)	-22°F (-30°C)	10 minutes
-10°F (-23°C)	30 mph (48 km/h)	-35°F (-37°C)	Under 5 minutes

Frostbite affects the extremities first — toes, fingers, ears, nose, and cheeks. The skin turns white, waxy, or grayish-yellow, and loses sensation. This is the dangerous part: frostbitten tissue doesn't hurt. Rewarm gently in warm (not hot) water, around 100–104°F (38–40°C).

Do not rub frostbitten tissue — ice crystals in the cells cause cutting damage when moved. Do not rewarm if there is risk the tissue will refreeze — a cycle of freeze-thaw causes more damage than staying frozen.

Wet clothing accelerates hypothermia faster than cold air alone

A wet cotton base layer at 50°F (10°C) with wind will produce hypothermia faster than dry insulation at 10°F (-12°C). Synthetic or wool base layers retain insulating value when wet; cotton does not. If you are working outdoors in winter conditions — clearing snow, managing livestock, doing vehicle recovery — your clothing system matters as much as the temperature outside.

Heating without grid power

The critical question during a winter power outage is: can you maintain the temperature in at least one room above 55°F (13°C) for multiple days?

Zone heating — concentrating warmth in one small room rather than trying to heat the whole house — dramatically reduces fuel demand. A single room in the interior of the house, away from exterior walls, with a door that can be closed, retains heat far better than an open floor plan. This is where your household sleeps and spends time during the outage.

Heating options during grid-down, from safest to most hazardous:

Propane or kerosene heaters (vented): Designed for supplemental heating, these are the workhorses of power outage heating when used correctly. Any heater burning fuel produces carbon monoxide — venting requirements vary by heater type, but the rule is: some source of outside air, even a cracked window of 1–2 inches (2.5–5 cm), is required to prevent CO accumulation. Keep a CO detector with battery backup in the room.

Wood stove or fireplace (with working chimney): The most reliable long-duration heat source, assuming a cord of wood is available. Inspect your chimney before winter — creosote buildup causes chimney fires. Keep the damper closed when not in use to prevent heat loss.

Catalytic propane heaters (indoor-rated): Devices like the Mr. Heater Big Buddy are rated for indoor use with ventilation. They produce minimal CO compared to open-flame heaters but still require airflow. Read the CO limitation specs; they're designed for well-ventilated spaces, not sealed rooms.

Electric space heaters: Useful during partial outages or when running a generator but pose fire risk if placed near combustibles or left unattended. Never use as primary heat during a full grid outage.

Carbon monoxide: the silent killer

Carbon monoxide (CO) is colorless and odorless. By the time you have symptoms — headache, nausea, confusion, fatigue — you may be too impaired to act.

CO concentration and effects:

CO level (ppm)	Effect
9 ppm	Maximum safe indoor level over 8 hours (EPA)
70 ppm	Headache, fatigue, nausea begin with prolonged exposure
150–200 ppm	Disorientation, risk of unconsciousness
800 ppm	Fatal in under 3 hours
1,600+ ppm	Fatal within 1 hour

In 2020, generators were responsible for 92 deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning in the US — the leading single product category for CO fatalities. The generator rule is absolute:

Never run a generator inside the home, garage, basement, or crawlspace. Never run one within 20 feet (6 meters) of any door, window, or vent. CO levels inside can reach fatal concentrations within minutes. This applies to enclosed garages even with the door open — CO travels through gaps around doors and into living spaces.

For the same reason, do not run a vehicle engine inside an attached garage to stay warm or charge a phone, and do not use gas cooking appliances as a heat source.

Field note

Install at least two CO detectors with battery backup before winter: one near sleeping areas and one near any fuel-burning appliances. Test them monthly. The combination of a generator running outside and a poorly sealed garage door has killed families who thought they were following the rules. If the CO detector sounds during a power outage, get everyone out immediately — the instinct to investigate first has cost lives.

Water supply during a freeze

Pipes freeze when temperatures inside a wall cavity drop to 32°F (0°C) and stay there. Pipes running along exterior walls and in unheated spaces (garages, attics, crawlspaces) are most vulnerable. Pipes burst when ice blockages create pressure between the blockage and the closed faucet — the burst happens downstream of the blockage, often not at the ice itself.

Prevention: - Keep heat at a minimum of 55°F (13°C) in all heated spaces, even if you are away - Open cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls to expose pipes to room-temperature air - Let faucets drip slightly during extreme cold — moving water freezes more slowly - Know the location of your main water shutoff valve and confirm it works before winter

If pipes freeze: do not use a torch or open flame to thaw them. Use a hair dryer, electric pipe heat tape, or warm wet towels. Start thawing at the faucet end and work toward the blockage to allow melt to escape.

If pipes burst: shut off the main water valve immediately. Have the shut-off location memorized before you need it. Stored water is your backup. The water storage foundation covers how much to keep on hand and in what containers.

Pipe freeze prevention protocol

The Texas 2021 event exposed a failure that is entirely preventable with basic protocol: roughly half of reported home damage came from burst pipes, not the cold itself. The protocol below prevents freezing in most residential situations and outlines exact response steps when prevention fails.

Which pipes freeze first

Pipes freeze in this sequence, from most to least vulnerable:

Pipes in exterior walls — particularly north- and northwest-facing walls with minimal insulation in the cavity
Pipes in unheated crawlspaces — especially if the crawlspace vents are open to outside air
Pipes in attached garages — garages are typically unheated and drop to near-outside temperature quickly
Pipes under sinks on exterior walls — cabinet doors block warm room air from reaching the pipe
Hose bibs and outdoor spigots — these should be drained before first freeze regardless of conditions

Heat tape installation

Electric heat tape (also called pipe heating cable) is an inexpensive product that wraps directly around vulnerable pipe runs and maintains temperature above freezing during sustained cold. Installation steps:

Identify the vulnerable pipe run — typically a 2–6 foot (0.6–1.8 m) section where the pipe passes through or along an exterior wall or unheated space.
Wrap the cable in a loose spiral around the pipe, overlapping at 1 revolution per 2 inches (5 cm) of pipe diameter. Do not overlap the cable on itself — the doubled insulation creates hot spots that can cause fires.
Secure with electrical tape every 6 inches (15 cm) — do not use duct tape, which degrades with heat cycles.
Plug into a GFCI-protected outlet only. Heat tape that contacts moisture without GFCI protection is a fire and electrocution hazard.
For pipes in a crawlspace, pair heat tape with foam pipe insulation over the cable to retain heat and reduce the load on the cable.

Thermostatically controlled heat tape (which activates automatically below a set temperature, typically 38°F (3°C)) is worth the slightly higher cost over manual types — it reduces fire risk from tape left on continuously.

Drip faucet method

Moving water freezes more slowly than static water. During sustained temperatures below 20°F (-7°C), let cold-water faucets drip at a rate of approximately 1 drip per second on pipes known to be in exterior walls. Hot water lines are less vulnerable but should also be kept dripping if the exterior wall run is long. The water cost of one dripping faucet for 24 hours is roughly 5–7 gallons (19–26 L) — trivial compared to the cost of a burst pipe.

Open the cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls before bed and during peak cold periods. This allows room-temperature air to circulate around the pipe and is the simplest and most effective passive prevention measure available at zero cost.

Main shutoff valve: location and operation

Before every winter season, every household member capable of acting in an emergency should know the location and operation of the main water shutoff valve. This is not optional — in a burst pipe event, the difference between a wet floor and a flooded home is measured in minutes.

Typical locations: - In the basement on the wall facing the street, near where the supply line enters the foundation - In a utility closet near the water heater in slab-on-grade homes - In a crawlspace access panel - In a buried valve box in the yard between the street meter and the house

Test the valve now, before an emergency. Turn it fully clockwise to close, counterclockwise to open. If it hasn't moved in years, apply penetrating oil and work it gently — a frozen or stuck valve that you discover during a burst pipe event will cost you significantly more than the time to check it now.

Know where the street-side shutoff is too

If your interior shutoff is inaccessible (buried under finished flooring or otherwise inoperable), locate the street-side meter shutoff box. You'll need a water meter key (a T-shaped tool, inexpensive at hardware stores) to operate it. Keep one with your emergency supplies.

Burst pipe emergency response

If a pipe bursts:

Shut off the main water supply valve immediately. Every second the water runs adds gallons to the flood. Do not look for the source first.
Turn on all faucets to drain the remaining water from the supply lines and reduce continued flow from residual pressure.
Turn off the water heater — running a water heater dry will burn out the element.
Document the damage with photos before any cleanup — this is your insurance record.
Identify the burst section. It is almost never at the ice blockage itself, which is frozen solid. Look for a split or bulge in the pipe, often inches to feet downstream of the blockage.
Apply a temporary repair: A pipe repair clamp (sleeve clamp) from a hardware store allows water service to be restored to the rest of the house while the damaged section is isolated. This is a moderate investment but worth keeping in your emergency supplies if you live in freeze country.
Do not attempt to use a propane torch to thaw a frozen pipe — this is the most common cause of house fires during winter weather events. Use a hair dryer, heat lamp, or electric pipe thawer instead.

Vehicle and road safety

Winter driving deaths are disproportionately caused by driver behavior rather than vehicle capability. Black ice (a thin, transparent glaze of ice on pavement) forms at road temperatures of 32°F (0°C) or below, particularly on bridges, overpasses, and shaded sections of road — these areas drop to freezing before the surrounding road surface. Roads are treated with road salt at temperatures down to roughly 15°F (-9°C) — below that threshold, salt loses effectiveness and alternative treatments (sand, magnesium chloride) are used.

Emergency vehicle kit for winter driving: - Blanket rated to 20°F (-7°C) below minimum expected temperature - Jumper cables or jump starter pack - Snow shovel (collapsible) and traction boards or sand - Ice scraper and windshield de-icer - High-visibility vest and road flares - At least 1 gallon (3.8 liters) of water and food for 24 hours - Extra clothing layers including waterproof outer shell

If stranded: stay with the vehicle, which provides shelter and visibility for rescuers. Run the engine for heat no more than 10 minutes per hour, with a window cracked and the exhaust pipe confirmed clear of snow. A snow-blocked exhaust pipe concentrates CO inside the vehicle.

The power-out supply baseline

A winter storm outage is primarily an energy problem. The energy foundation covers backup power in detail — for winter specifically, prioritize:

Heat: enough fuel (propane, wood) to maintain zone heating for 7 days at minimum, 14 days as a planning target

Food: meals that don't require refrigeration and minimal cooking. Keep a 7-day supply of foods that can be eaten cold or heated on a single-burner camp stove. A full freezer that stays closed retains temperature for 48 hours; after that, assume loss.

Water: 1 gallon (3.8 liters) per person per day minimum — more if pipes freeze and tap access is lost. See water storage for container and treatment guidance.

Light: headlamps for each household member with fresh batteries; a single battery lantern for shared space. Candles introduce fire and CO risk — minimize their use.

Communication: a battery-powered or hand-crank National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio. Cell towers lose power after 4–8 hours without backup generators. Text messages often transmit when voice calls fail — teach household members to text rather than call during outages.

Winter storm preparedness checklist

Winter storms concentrate the risks of several other foundations simultaneously: energy backup, water supply, food reserves, and medical readiness. The shelter foundation covers structural insulation and heating systems in more depth.