Winter Storms guides
Winter storm guides to prepare your home and car, stay warm in an outage and understand ice, snow and cold
Plain-language winter storm guides: how to prepare your home and car, what to do if you are stranded or lose power, and what blizzards, ice and nor'easters mean.
Prepare
Before a storm: plans, supplies and your home.
Warnings
Winter storm watch vs warning, blizzard and ice storm warningsTell a winter storm watch from a warning, and learn what blizzard and ice storm alerts and advisories mean and what the NWS says to do.Read guide Preparing
Winter storm preparedness: getting your home readyGet your home ready for a winter storm with Ready.gov guidance on insulation, detectors, several days of supplies and a car kit.Read guide Preparing
What to keep in your winter car kitPack a winter storm survival kit for your car using the NWS list, and prepare your vehicle and yourself before winter weather arrives.Read guide Understanding
Frost advisory vs freeze warning: what each meansTell a frost advisory from a freeze warning, and see what each alert means, how cold it gets, and how frost differs from a freeze.Read guide Understanding
Nor'easters explained, including when they hit and notable stormsLearn what a nor'easter is, how it got its name, where and when these coastal storms form, and the notable storms the NWS lists.Read guide Understanding
Lake effect snow: what causes it and where it fallsFind out how lake effect snow forms over the Great Lakes, why it falls in narrow bands, and how heavy it can get, from the NWS.Read guide Understanding
The polar vortex explained: what it is and how it brings Arctic coldThe polar vortex is always there. See how it can send Arctic air south and how to prepare for a cold snap, from the NWS.Read guide Understanding
Worst snowstorms in U.S. history: NOAA's list of historic stormsThe biggest U.S. snowstorms from NOAA NCEI's historic storm list: the 1993 Superstorm, Blizzard of 1996, 1978 blizzard and 1950 Appalachian storm.Read guide Understanding
Wind chill explained: what it is and how the NWS calculates itWind chill measures how cold it feels. See the NWS formula, when it becomes dangerous, and example values from the NWS chart.Read guide Stay safe
When a watch or warning is in effect.
Staying safe
What to do if you are stranded in a vehicle in snowWhat the NWS says to do if you are stranded in a vehicle in a winter storm or blizzard: stay with the vehicle, run the engine sparingly, signal for help.Read guide Staying safe
Staying warm and safe in a winter power outageHow to keep warm during a winter power outage and avoid carbon monoxide poisoning from generators and heaters, from NWS, CDC and Poison Control.Read guide Staying safe
Extreme cold: dressing, frostbite and hypothermiaDress and go out safely in dangerous cold, and learn the signs and first actions for frostbite and hypothermia, from NWS and Ready.gov.Read guide Understanding
Ice storms, freezing rain and black ice: what they do and how to stay safeSee what heavy ice does to trees, power lines and roads, how black ice forms, and the minimum lake ice thickness the NWS gives.Read guide