Insulate indoor and outdoor pipes, and leave a warm water faucet dripping during the storm to keep pipes from freezing. Only heat your home with heating units specifically designed as indoor heating sources. Be alert to potential fire hazards, especially with wood- or coal-burning stoves, and install and check fire alarms. Food, water, blankets, extra outerwear, a shovel, sand, rope, jumper cables, and a bright signal cloth should be in the trunk of your car all winter long, in case you get stranded while driving. Blizzards can cause blackouts. You and your family can prepare by printing and filling out the Duracell Preparedness Checklist and posting it in your home.
What is a blizzard? A blizzard is a winter storm with large amounts of snow, winds that exceed 35 miles per hour and temperatures of 20° F or lower. A severe blizzard has winds of at least 45 miles per hour and temperatures of 10° F or lower. How do they form? Blizzards are formed in winter months when a strong low-pressure system is followed by a strong high-pressure system. Moisture, a strong force to lift that precipitation-causing moisture into the sky, and below-freezing temperatures in the clouds and near the ground are all essential elements of blizzard formation. Where and when do they hit? Blizzards are most common in the Northern Great Plains states, but can also occur as far south as Texas and as far east as Maine.
Even after blizzards subside, harsh winds can make winter weather feel even more bitterly cold than usual. That's where the wind chill index comes into play. The index takes into account both temperature and wind speed to determine how cold the weather feels to you. Use the following chart to see how wind chill is calculated. Wind Speed in MPH 5 10 15 20 25 30 Temp (F) How Cold it Feels Outside 40 3 28 23 19 16 13 35 32 22 16 12 8 6 30 27 16 9 4 1 -2 25 22 10 2 -3 -7 -10 20 16 3 -5 -10 -15 -18 15 11 -3 -11 -17 -22 -25 10 6 -9 -18 -24 -29 -33 5 0 -15 -25 -31 -36 -41 0 -5 -22 -31 -39 -44 -49 -5 -10 -27 -38 -46 -51 -59 -10 -15 -34 -45 -51 -59 -64 -15 -21 -40 -51 -60 -66 -71 -20 -26 -46 -58 -67 -74 -79