A lot of people are about to be hit with a big winter storm who are not used to this kind of weather. Here are some tips from a Minnesotan:
Keeping warm:
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avoid cotton fabrics.
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Use layers, take them off if you start to sweat.
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I like tight gloves with thick mittens, which allows use of your hands sometimes without skin exposure.
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A face mask works as a scarf or another layer in a pinch
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Warm up your home in case you lose power. Power outages may happen after the snow/freezing rain stops
Snow removal:
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Lift with your legs, not your back.
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Don’t save all of the shoveling for the very end of the storm, it’ll be more difficult and will start to create an ice layer (especially where walked on)
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if you have a car, lift up the windshield wipers before it starts snowing/freezing rain
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Completely clean your car soon after the storm. In most places, it’s illegal to drive with a lot of snow/ice on your car and super dangerous.
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If you’re parked on a street, move the car to a plowed area when possible so they can plow where you were parked
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If you have a driveway, clear off part of the street in the direction the plow will come from, so that doesn’t end up blocking your driveway
Driving
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stay home until streets are plowed if possible (thank you healthcare workers and emergency responders!)
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Turn on ABS brake and traction control settings, if available
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accelerate and take turns slowly
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Have more time/distance to brake
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Speed up before going up an incline, getting stuck and sliding back down is not fun
Sliding on ice:
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If walking, keep your feet underneath your center of gravity
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If driving, switch to neutral and steer in the direction that the back of the car is sliding, but don’t overreact on steering. Slamming brakes will make sliding worse.
Car stuck in snow:
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turn off traction control
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don’t just let the tires spin out
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try shoveling, sand/kitty litter, and rocking back and forth
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Once you get moving again, don’t stop
Edit: if you do lose power, have a faucet or two drip water to prevent the pipes from freezing and bursting
Edit 2: if you see ICE, follow these steps
Swede here, when driving, drive as if there is a raw egg between your foot and the pedals.
Also, winter tires makes a huge difference, here they are mandatory, but you should get/use them as well even if they are not.
Do brake tests! Make sure you have a clear road ahead and no one behind you, break hardish, and remember how far you slid.
If you know you need to stop just after a hidden bend in the road, make sure to start braking before the curve, this is to light up your brake lights, giving other, less attentive drivers the chance to stop earlier.
Remember that you don’t HAVE to drive the speed limit, you should adjust your speed to suit the conditions.
Unless in an emergency, never ever make a quick, sharp turn when driving in snow
Good additions! I just didn’t mention the snow tires because that’s not an option for a lot of people in southern US states
They make these things that are basically long zip ties with nubs on them that you can strap to your tires. They are supposed to give you traction in a pinch. A bit late for this storm, but it wouldn’t be bad to have in your trunk for an emergency. I haven’t tried them myself I admit, but it has to be better than nothing.
I’ve tried them. Didn’t last more than 100 feet on fresh snow before bursting open. You need actual tire chains.
If it holds long enough to get me unstuck from a rut, then it would still be worth it to me
If you’re asking of they’re better than absolutely nothing, then yes, they are. They are also a waste of money. Just buy an actual chain instead. Or snow tires, but the price difference is unpalatable.
drive as if there is a raw egg between your foot and the pedals.
Excuse me, what?
Yes, it is a common expression here, it makes you slow down your pedal movements to be slow, light and careful, just what you need when driving on slippery roads.
An egg can take quite a bit of force, if you apply it carefully.
So like you’re trying not to break an egg under your foot?
Correct
Thanks!
Yeah also thanks because I thought they meant like the raw inside of the egg. Like the yolk and white all over the bottom of your foot and the pedals making it very slippery.
In this case the raw egg is still inside the shell. They makes a lot more sense that what my brain conjured up.
Though all that being said it does things me of the anime Initial D
The main character makes deliveries for his dad and his dad puts a cup of water in the cup holder and says not to spill any. That’s how he teaches his son to drive without breaking the tofu he is delivering.
That being if he doesn’t spill any water he is driving smoothly and with care.
Which is actually a reoccurring challenge on the Canada’s Worst Driver show. Season one is actually a great watch for winter driving skills
Bonus SLPT: make sure to clean out your local store of milk, eggs, and bread ahead of the storm. It’s very important to have French toast available during a storm.
I can’t wait to have French toast Saturday morning! Breakfast tacos Sunday morning! And maybe some beef bourguignon, chili, or chicken soup. The house i live in now was without power for 4 days in 2021. Fingers crossed!!
A helpful list! I think an additional point worth mentioning is that a heated blanket can keep you warm while consuming much less electricity than a space heater can.
We have a heated mattress pad, keeps all of the heat inside the blankets
There are heated clothing as well that use regular power banks as energy source. Not that expensive but makes quite the difference. Another benefit is that you can turn it off when you go indoors instead of undressing to not start sweating like a pig.
My son is a mechanic so it’s often chilly at work. He uses those rechargeable hand warmers in his shirt pockets.
When my mechanic had decided to sell his shop, he got rid of his heating bill for the last few months he had to work and he used a vest from snap on (branded snap on anyway) that had rechargeable warmers in it. Was kind of neat. He said it worked surprisingly well as long as he remembered to keep it charged
Learn where the water shutoff is to your house.
If the worst happens and you lose power for any significant amount of time with no way to heat your home, and you face leaving your house find someplace warm, shut the water off. Some might suggest leaving taps trickling, and that might work for sinks, but won’t for toilets and other pipes.
Open the lowest spigot in the house to drain as much water as possible. Flush the toilets enough times to empty the tanks. Pour cheap vodka in the toilet “S” traps and sink “U” traps as a cheap antifreeze.
I’ve had to winterize a house on several occasions, learned the hard way on a couple occasions when I came back to a busted toilet or cracked drain.
E: oh, and clean your damn car roof off. I’m tired of chunks of snow flying off cars into mine, or almost as bad, the clowns that hit the brakes and the snowpack slides forward completely blocking their windshield. Now they can’t see and are blocking the road.
to add: get the proper rated winter wiper washer fluid.
once forgot I had the summer stuff still in (because it doesn’t smell like shit like the stuff with antifreeze) and I turned it on mid drive while it was freezing outside.that was fucking scary, having suddenly no view at 40 mph.
luckily the road was straight, but I was driving like Ace Ventura in the freezing cold until I could safely pull over.
learn that one from me, so you don’t have to learn that lesson yourself, and hopefully never at freeway speeds.stay safe out there you all! (and best of luck all Minnesotans, stay strong, together!)
Good tip on prepping the drain pipe traps, that should help. I’m sure there are better options if you have the right tools but as a stopgap solution, it would help lower the freezing point and gives you better odds of not coming back to a cracked pipe.
If you’re just going to pop out to the store, don’t neglect your wardrobe! Dress for the ditch, not your destination. If you slide off the road you don’t want to be freezing to death in your sneakers and hoody trying to dig your car out. Bonus points for bringing a shovel, trying to dig your car out with an ice scraper sucks.
My tip is: always keep a little more clothing in your bag than you think is necessary.
Question for people who live in colder climates - why is it always so hot indoors? When I’ve been in new York, Chicago, Milwaukee, etc. in the winter it’s miserable inside. It’s 12 degrees outside and you step into a restaurant or shop where it feels like it’s 80 degrees. You’re immediately sweating because you have a jacket, gloves, etc. and you have to find someplace to put them.
Sometimes it’s because of the temperature delta. Really cold outside and warm inside might feel hot, comparatively. Apparent temperature stuff.
Other times it’s probably over compensation for the thin skinned.
My wife and I keep our heat pretty low, usually 60°F, which is usually pretty damn chilly for indoors
But when you step in from single digits outside, 60° feels downright toasty.
Finland the normal indoor them I think is 21-22C
That’s quite warm, especially for winter. I would have guessed 17 or 18.
In Sweden 20°C is the lowest acceptable indoor temperature for apartments.
I lived at a place that had 17-19°C indoors for a while. Spent all my time nestled under triple blankets. Sitting still at those temps gets real cold after a while, unlike being outdoors where you’re more likely to be moving (and maybe get some sunlight to warm you up, too).
Below 18C isn’t great because of humidity, it can cause issues. 21C seems to be the sweet spot on Finland for health and comfort
If it’s a small shop, it may be because the door is constantly being opened and they’re trying to keep the store warm for the people working there.
I wonder if those places do a better job of being less drafty because it’s easier to know there’s a draft when it’s really cold.
It would help keep hot air inside if so which might explain why it’s so hot
When walking with a lot of ice, always walk on the snowy, cloudy, and/or crunchy looking areas. You’ll get more grip with the crunch of the ice and snow than on just ice. If it looks clear, didn’t go near. (Or something like that)
A fall might cost you thousands of dollars in medical bills. Get boots or shoes with good traction soles. For hard packed snow or ice get spiral type slip on ice-creepers unless you are going to be outside only, then get ones with studs. Walk like a penguin if caught one ice without them.
avoid cotton fabrics
Why?
If walking, keep your feet underneath your center of gravity
In fact, do the ‘penguin shuffle’ whenever in doubt!
Why?
Once cotton gets wet it offers no thermal protection. If wool (and other fabrics) is wet it will still keep you warm.
I’ve found having a cotton t-shirt as a base to actually help when wearing layers, as the cotton wicks away any sweat from my skin and keeps me feeling generally drier and therefor warmer (and I don’t sweat enough to completely soak the shirt, YMMV if you sweat a lot). Also helps if you find wool or other outer layers itchy. You’re right to not wear additional layers of cotton fabric, though.
Cotton doesn’t wick anything, it absorbs it. And if you’re sweating enough that it’s a problem, remove layers until it isn’t. That’s the point of them.
Basically anything that’s wet is less than useless as insulation. cotton socks, gloves, jeans, and sweaters tend to develop wet spots from your sweat or puddles and conduct the cold right into those areas.
Nothing upsets me more than people driving with a pothole carved into their windshield and 6 inches of mobile smoke bomb/death shelf on their roof.
Something I picked up when driving in Wisconsin is if you are driving and need to change lanes take your foot off the acceleration pedal if there is a layer of Snow/slush/ice between the lanes. If the tires slip your not adding power to the wheels. Also take your time and slowly drift into the lane. It’s not a race.
A tip someone gave me if you can’t see the lane markers well is to slowly move towards the rumble strip. This can help you know where the edge of the road is.
I suggest you keep a reflective jacket or vest in the car just so you can be seen IF you need to get out of the car if you get stuck or putting on chains.
Great additions!
Something else I would do I find a large open parking lot and intentionally drive in a way to make my car lose traction. This way I could practice my over steer, counter steer. Sure it was fun to play in the snow but I wanted to make sure I had a controlled setting to do this. Just be careful of light poles and other obstacles.
And curbs
I’ll add being mindful it can take about 3x longer to brake. And with that, leave a gap whenever you do stop behind another vehicle. You never know when the person behind you might brake too late; having the gap gives you wiggle room to move forward or switch lanes.
I had the opportunity to experience a masterclass in how to handle extreme weather events in Saskatchewan.
-Bundle the fuck up
-Check on / help your neighbours
-If you see someone stuck in thier vehicle help them for God’s sake.
In terms of unstucking a vehicle, the trick is to “rock it” out. Once you even get a little bit of motion, you’re in a better spot. If you are bring pushed, or are pushing, make sure the driver’s window is open for communication. When pushing, still be thinking about the task as rocking out. You push and they apply (a little) gas, till they hit the limit. Let them roll back after, then coordinate another push.
Another thing with getting your car out of snow is to put something with traction underneath the tires. E.g. some gravel if you have it, a blanket, or the car mats under each wheel. That little extra traction can definitely mean the difference.
I tried the car mat trick once. They immediately shot out from under the tires when giving it gas.
Gotta channel your inner Happy Gilmore and just taaaap the pedal. Tap, tap, taaaap the pedal.
Too much gas eh. Or ice/crispy snow underneath. Then you need something more grippy.
Cat litter can work wonders here
😅 I can imagine, although might be difficult to get a hold of in a pinch.
If you’re in a location that will get a significant amount of snow, 8” or more, find the fire hydrant closest to your house and clear an area around it to at least a couple feet.
This is why most snow-prone areas stick tall flags next to them in winter.
I mean we know where they are, the problem is digging them out takes a bunch of time you don’t have.
Why?
Because if your house catches fire with you in it, you want the firemen to be inside your house putting the fire out with an established water supply, not outside pissing away time digging the hydrant out of the snow/ice.
It would take over 2 ft of snow to get close to the hydrant outlet around here. I was curious why was 8" set as a trigger.
The common standard for the height of the center of a fire hydrants outlet is about 18 inches from the ground. The radius from that center point to the bottom of the outlet is 2.5 inches which is where body of the coupler will be, plus some room for the 3-4” handles attached to either side of the coupler body to be able to turn to thread the coupler onto the outlet. So that’s about 11” of clearance wiggle room you have for snow you’d need plus a few extra inches of some extra room added for your hands/arms or the fact that over time hydrants can kinda “sink” into the ground diminishing the clearance further.
If your local fire department uses a 4 way hydrant valve to connect to the hydrant for uninterruptible in-line boosting like this one
Then that’s a bunch of extra clearance you’ll need.
And then there’s just the fact that the less snow there is, the easier it is for them to just clear away themselves.
8” isn’t an exact number as much as it is a ballpark for when snowfall around a hydrant goes from being a minor pain in the ass to becoming a potential safety issue.
That’s the kind of thorough explanation I pay the internet for. Thank you!
That’s assuming there even is one in your neighborhood.
This storm will be blanketing very populated areas with an amount of snow they don’t often see.
Rocking back and forth doesn’t help me when I watch the news, so I doubt it’ll help me get out of a snow drift.
If you’re stuck in a parking spot, and you can’t seem to rock your car out, turn OFF your traction control! (It should be a button with a car and wavy lines that you probably have never pressed before). The traction control takes power away from slipping wheels so if they’re both/all slipping, you get wheels that barely move as you’re stepping in the gas.
Just remember to turn it back on once you’re free
Mesh shirt against your skin is the shit. It keeps an air layer between your skin and base layer which helps you stay warm and feel dry while wicking the moisture away.
If there’s anyone I’d trust on this matter, it’s you.
I appreciate the blind faith
According to my tag on you, you’re a construction worker with a camera; I would imagine both of those things would expose you to cold. It’s not blind!
Fair enough then! I also mountain bike year around.
You are singlehandedly compensating for me never leaving the house.
This is a stellar idea. I l bike to work year round, and live in a cold climate. I might give this a shot. Just gotta figure out where to find a mesh shirt
