If you never lived where it snows and were moving North to where it does snow, what would you have liked to have known? What would you do to prepare?
Keep one of those brush/scraper things in your car.
Clean the snow off your car before driving.
CLEAN THE SNOW OFF YOUR CAR BEFORE DRIVING
All of it
If it is going to be a lot of snow, don’t wait until it is over before you start digging out.
Salt/pet friendly ice melt for your walkways
Have a snow blower? Don’t wait until the day before to see if it still runs. Make sure you have gas for it
Slow drip on a faucet to prevent pipes from bursting
I’d add that, while not strictly required, one of those total car snow covers really does come in handy: https://www.amazon.ca/kayme-Waterproof-Protection-Automobiles-Universal/dp/B09FLKGLCW
Seriously, clearing snow isn’t just for your visibility. It’s illegal here (and presumably other places) to leave any snow at all on your car because it will come off and is very likely to affect the visibility of another driver at high speeds.
Have a snow blower? Don’t wait until the day before to see if it still runs. Make sure you have gas for it
That reminds me, I should set a reminder to charge the batteries for mine.
Clothing
- Make sure to have a good winter coat, neck gaiter, hat, gloves and boots. Staying warm and dry is important.
- Hand warmers can be handy if you expect to be outside for a while. There are several variants (chemical, reusable, rechargeable)
Driving
- Winter tires. It may seems like an extra expense, but it will make your summer/all-season tires lasts longer. In some provinces, they are mandatory for residents (ex: Quebec)
- Make sure to clear the snow from the car, INCLUDING the roof (aka don’t leave a snowhawk). Keep that snow brush in the trunk.
- Make sure to keep your windshield washer fuild filled.
- Have a small snow shovel just in case you get stuck in snow.
- Keep one of those metallic safety blanket, and those emergency candle in case you get in an emergency.
- A car battery booster might come in handy. A drained battery isn’t fun.
- Drice defensively, it’s easier to lose control of the vehicle.
Homeowner
- A good shovel to clear out the driveway isn’t a luxury
- Some sand in a bucket with a lid, to put over ice patches when it gets slippery. You don’t need to put a lot, just enough to not fall.
- Be sure to keep the temperature above 18°C. If the temp inside the building drops too low, ice can form in water pipes, and you can imagine the mess it can make when a pipe bursts.
Make sure to keep your windshield washer fluid filled.
and make sure it’s winter grade fluid (rated for freezing temps)!
I once had summer stuff in there (doesn’t smell as bad because no anti-freeze) and as soon as I turned the wiper spray on the whole window froze over and I couldn’t see shit while I was driving.
scary shit!We had to make an emergency trip to Quebec in January 2022 because of health issues with the in-laws. Father-in-law advised to get the stuff rated to -20°F, but it wasn’t available where we live and I’d gotten the car serviced before we hit the road and they filled the washer fluid with what they had, I’m guessing 0°F. I bought some -20°F in Buffalo but didn’t have room to add any. The temperature was rapidly dropping as we headed farther north and as we neared Watertown, NY the fluid wasn’t spraying well. I tried adding what I could of the -20°F but by the time we stopped east of Montreal that night it was -45°F and the whole system had frozen solid. Tried using a hairdryer at the hotel, but we couldn’t melt it until we got it in the in-laws garage. Without fluid running the wipers can mean just smearing crud across your windshield, making it impossible to see.
Now I always make sure whenever we leave Quebec that I have a bottle of -49°F rated fluid and fill the reservoir at home before heading up in the winter. If there’s a lot of warmer-rated fluid in the car I’ll actually siphon it out.
good advice! I didn’t even think about the whole system freezing.
and if you’re going a place that cold also get a (fresh) heavy duty battery. ours had trouble starting the car when it was -35F also in Montreal
18°c is uncalled for though? Above 12 should be fine
I’d go somewhere in-between to keep things dry.
Condensation around windows and outer walls make great growing grounds for mold. 15°C is the recommendation here.
Shit can happen. Boilers break. Leave your faucets dripping and run your circulation pump off of a battery and inverter to save your pipes.
18°C is recommended, especially for uninsulated pipes and where the ambient heat may have trouble reaching, as these spots may get colder.
More importantly, check your home insurance coverage policy, some will set a minimum temperature to maintain to be covered, with some exemptions in case of a power outage and other things outside of your control.
Look at Dr Money over here, anything above 0°C will keep the pipes from freezing and is technically survivable
Before it gets cold, turn off your outdoor spigots from the inside. If you have ducted air, change the filter every few months. If you have a furnace or boiler, be sure to have a carbon monoxide detector in addition to regular smoke detectors.
It’s four wheel drive not four wheel stop.
- I would add keeping a jug of sand or cat litter along with a couple 12"+ 2x4s in the vehicle to help with getting some traction if you or someone else ends up stuck.
- i dunno about EVs but if you’ve got an ICE vehicle give it a minute or two of just idling and warming up before going anywhere
- When I start driving on snow I tap the brakes a couple times if nobody’s around just to get a feel for how good my traction is. Am I sliding a little bit? A lot? Not at all? That helps set the tone for what to expect on the roads.
- Don’t accelerate through turns if you’ve already got momentum, and if the weather’s REALLY suspect I prefer to coast on overpasses as well since those ice over first.
- Respect the possibility of black ice. If you live in a mountainous area then assume anywhere in the shade is black ice
- If the house is on a crawlspace make sure any ductwork and copper piping are properly Insulated, keep the crawlspace vents closed during the cold months.
- Use ice melt sparingly if you have to use it at all (sand is preferable) because it’s caustic to concrete.
- if you’re somewhere that gets an absolutely stupid amount of snow, follow your neighbors’ lead if you see them shoveling snow off their roofs. I saw a lot of roof collapses in a luxury mountain town where rich people’s second (third? Fourth? Ninth?) homes were left vacant during a pretty nasty snowstorm
Yeah this is a great guide, especially for clothing.
A lot of people have pretty well covered how to drive in snow and ice, but here’s a little secret they won’t tell you:
- Over the summer, the locals forgot how to drive on snow, too.
The first big snow will bring the car fairy to sprinkle wrecked cars along the side of the road. Most of these are given by people with plenty of experience driving on snow.
Stay home that first time. If you absolutely must drive, be the one going too slowly. After that, you can kind of do as the Romans do.
My first time driving in snow ever was in January. From Columbia, MD, through DC into Arlington, VA. At 5.30 AM. Big truck guys we the most guys on the snow. I drove a FWD 05 Jetta and drive painfully slowly and made it. Patience and sensibility paid off abundantly.
I moved to a snow city for the first time well into adulthood.
The big thing I have for you is that walking on snow is awesome for like two hours and then it’s constantly threatening to kill you. Slippery sludge or ice is the worst feeling in the universe and all the locals will just strut right over it like it’s nothing while you’re fighting for your life.
Just buy good shoes and plant your feet vertically, no sliding motions.
Planting one’s feet vertically is a skill that takes a while to develop.
Crampons help.
I feel comfortable walking on ice, but I’ve had it a few times that people drove past me on road bikes.
Stopping takes longer. Drive slower; leave more space to stop.
You’d think it’s common sense, but a huge number of the accidents in winter are because people drive like idiots.
Conditions change rapidly too. A cloud can cause everything to ice over instantly. You might have stopped fine every other time, but it takes a single unexpected slide to change lives forever.
There’s more to know if you plan to drive a car.
Four-wheel drive helps to accelerate in icy conditions, it does not help braking.
Make slow, careful changes when it’s snowy or icy. Slow down more than you normally would to take a turn. Give yourself triple the distance to slow to a stop. Don’t turn hard.
Use windshield wiper fluid appropriate for freezing temperatures.
Put any rage or impatience aside and get to where you’re going safely.
If you live in a place that clears the streets and you don’t have to go anywhere, consider staying put. Wait a couple hours until the streets are cleared.
If you’ll be driving somewhere more remote, have clothes and boots appropriate for the weather in case your car breaks down or gets stuck and you have to walk. I also keep a jug of water, flashlight, and blanket/sleeping bag in my trunk during winter for this reason.
You can’t melt through snow or ice by spinning your tires.
This is very important, I’ve seen people try this and it just makes things worse. In another comment I suggested my favourite solution to getting stuck like this; have a one-handed garden pick or similar tool in the car so you can dig the tires out of the ice.
Drive slowly on snow. 90% of driving works just fine so long as you go slow. And that doesn’t mean 35 in a 40 zone. That means 10 in a 40 zone.
Drive super fucking slow on snow, and you’ll be fine.
People who come from warmer climates to snow always fuck this up, and it’s so simple. I think there’s a pride thing involved. So just get over your “I can do this” pride, and drive ultra slow.
At least at first. You can speed up a little once you get a sense of what makes the car slide, but to start with just go ultra ultra slow.
It is super annoying when there’s a really slow driver on the highway. Usually the right lane is pretty clean from people driving on it continuously and the left lane is completely fubar. So it’s safe to go faster in the right lane, but very dangerous to pass using the left lane. I’m talking about when there’s two dry tracks with a little bit of snow between them and lots of salt on the road. Safe to go 40-45mph with no issue, but they want to do 25.
So you’re the dickweed out on the roads doing 10 mph in the snow.
Stay home
Some of us know how to drive in the snow
(Slow on ice is acceptable, but if it’s an ice storm, stay home anyway. No reason to wind up in a ditch because you wanted Twinkies)
Slow down in general. You ain’t the good guy here, crying over someone driving slowly IN THE SNOW.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I’m not out there tailgating people and passing, but I’m sure as hell wishing they’d piss off back home and let those that know how to drive get where they’re going
I don’t care what you think, and I’ll die on this ditch.
HILL! This… damnit
Drive your car like it doesn’t have brakes. Treat it like a boat.
When you get parked, knock the snow and ice out of the wheel wells before you start driving again.
Layer your clothing.
An undershirt + a shirt + sweater + jacket + a shell is a really warm combination. On your legs, long johns + pajama pants + regular pants is great.
As the seasons change, you can omit items to get just the right temperature.
I live at 2000m altitude
I had a problem with skin on the tops of my knees drying out and flaking, it was quite painful
Turned out it was the antiperspirant I was using on my armpits got on my knees when I bent over to put my socks on and dried out the skin 😂
Norwegian here, and there are some common mistakes I see in people not used to the climate.
- When walking on ice, at least the very slippery kind, use short steps. It reduces the chance of slipping.
- And if you do slip and begin to fall, take it like a champ and sit down gracefully. The most comedic sights are the ones flailing to try and stay uptight.
- Buy a snow shovel.
- There are many expensive things sold as ice and snow thawers, but these are usually just variations of salt and gravel. Whatever salt you can buy in bulk at the grocery store works just fine. And any sand/gravel that you can find in the summer will do.
- When shoveling snow, clear a wider path than what you think you’ll need. A narrow strip is hard to keep clear after a while of heavy snowfall.
- If you have a car, make sure to have proper winter tires. If you do, you won’t have to bother with snow chains.
- Car batteries don’t like the cold. Make sure yours can hold charge well. Overdoing it with AmpHours is also a bonus.
- Get a scraper to remove ice from your windshield.
- Wet feet become cold feet. Stay dry. Wool socks are amazing at keeping your feet both warm and dry.
It’s ok to eat a bit more nutritious food when it’s cold - your natural body heating costs energy.
Cover your head when outside, your head loses an unreasonable amount of heat.
If your bed’s too cold in the evening, buy a heating pad - a warm bed feels awsome.
If your hands get painfully cold, more excruciating pain may be waiting for you when they start to heat back up. To avoid the additional pain, put your hands under cold tap water first - I promise it’s going to feel warm. Then increase the heat slowly until your hands are warm again.
An electric blanket is one of the best ways to warm up when you’re “chilled to the bone”. Layer them between normal blankets to make the most of the heat and keep them clean, and you can get whole body heat for a tenth the cost of even a little space heater.
There’s an old saying, “If your feet are cold, put on a hat”. You could have the nicest coat ever made, but nothing will warm a particular body part more than the body parts next to it. There’s tons of blood flowing close to the surface on the head, neck, and wrists; having those areas exposed turns your skin into a blood-cooling radiator. So consistent, thorough coverage and tucking in layers will make your winter clothes warmer than the sum of their parts
No matter how comfortable you get driving in the snow, always drive slow.
I don’t care if you got four wheel drive chains and snow tires, drive like 5 10 15 miles an hour.
Also, if you start to skid, don’t slam on the brakes.
If it is a long skid and you have time to react, drop your vehicle down into low gear (which should not be very difficult because you’ve been driving slow right?) and let off the accelerator and allow the resistance of the drivetrain to slow you down.
If you feel yourself decelerating you can try tapping the brakes but if you do not immediately regain traction and slow back down, let off the brake.
When you are in a skidding situation, do not White knuckle your steering wheel. Especially when you are turning against the skid, suddenly regaining traction with your tires at an extreme angle can put you into an entirely new skid. You need to be prepared to let go of the steering wheel as soon as you have traction if need be.
Finally, practice.
When there is a gentle snow, which there often is prior to large snows, take your car out and drive it around. Find out how your car reacts in the snow and get a little bit of practice with the small skids that you might encounter on the roads that you travel.
If you live up or down a large Hill, find out if there are alternative routes that you can take to get to your destination. If there is no way to get to your house without either going up or coming down a large hill, identify places where you can safely park your car away from the hill and walk to your home.
Finding that information out beforehand will save you a lot of hassle in the event of a winter storm.
I’ll finish that up with saying, if you expect yourself to be in severe winter weather, it is a good idea to get some chains and some traction devices and some blankets and some water and store them in the trunk of your car during the winter season.
That way, if you are caught unaware’s, you will be prepared.
All of my advice are for severe places like Wisconsin. If you live in a place where the snow is well managed that might be Overkill.
I moved to Washington State and got caught in a blizzard in an old beat-up pickup truck.
Part of my route to get home required that I go down a Long Hill, so I slowed to 5 miles an hour and dropped my vehicle in to low gear and made it about 20 ft down the hill before I lost traction.
As I’m slowly uncontrollably skiing down the hill on a bed of snow, to my left and to my right I am passing by row after row after row of vehicles that had been abandoned by their drivers unable to traverse this road.
It was a good day to wear brown pants
However, by steering against the skid and not white knuckling and not riding my brakes and keeping the vehicle in its low drive I was able to safely ski down the road that I had found myself on and make it to the other side.
I was able to drive home that day by following my own advice.
If something like that happens to you, I hope you do the same.
Mittens are warmer than gloves.
Winter shoes must fit a woolen sock and not be too tight, otherwise the insulation gets compressed and doesn’t work.
Better to wear many layers rather than just one layer of super thick clothing
When driving in snow or icy roads it’s worth knowing that there are times where it’s best not to panic and slam on the brakes. Sometimes it’s safer to take your foot off of both the brake and gas pedals particularly if there is little danger of colliding with what’s in front of you. Every fiber in your body may be telling you to hit the brakes but you have to ignore it, similar to encountering a bear in the wild and your body wants to run. It’s counterintuitive. I highly suggest finding an empty parking lot full of snow and driving around. Try to make the car slide. It’s best to learn in an environment like this. Same thing goes for when your car drives through a puddle of water or just as importantly when half your car drives through a puddle. Two tires locking up while the other two get no traction can cause a spin out or loss of control.
Staying dry is just as important as staying warm. Melting snow on a mild day can soak your feet. Sweating from dressing too warm can make you clammy and cold. Minor adjustments in your clothing like removing or adding a hat or gloves can make a big difference. A scarf or neck gaitor can make a big difference.
Another driving one… check your driving app of choice for traffic before you’re leaving the house. Be patient. Know when to put your foot down and tell your boss it’s just not worth it.
Lastly, take up a winter activity. You may find yourself (like me) looking forward to winter. Buy cross-country skis and it will never snow enough
