Winter Storms

Winter storms can strike any area. Even areas that normally experience mild winters can be hit with a major snowstorm or extreme cold. The results can be isolation from power outages, blocked roads and cars trying to maneuver ice-covered highways. Everyone needs to be prepared to protect themselves from the hazards of winter weather-blizzards, heavy snow, freezing rain and sleet.

Preparing for Winter Storms

  1. Being familiar with terminology used by the Weather Service will help you know what to expect when weather warnings are issued. The following terms are used frequently in winter weather releases:

    Temp. Wind
    degrees F 15 mph 30 mph 40 mph
    3011 -2-4
    20-5 -18-22
    10-18-33-36
    0-33 -49-54
    -10-45-63-69
    -20-60-78-87
    -30-70-94-101
    -40-85-109-116

  2. Pay attention to weather forecasts and other winter weather releases on radio and television.

  3. Check battery powered equipment, emergency cooking facilities and flashlights so you won't be without heat or light during a storm.

  4. Check your supply of heating fuel. Fuel carriers may not be able to deliver during heavy snow.

  5. Stock extra food. Include food that needs no cooking in case of power failure.

  6. If power is out, keep your refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible.

  7. Prevent fires by not overheating your stove, heater or furnace. Don't leave fireplaces unattended.

  8. Stay indoors during cold snaps and storms unless you are in top physical condition. If you must go out, don't overexert.

  9. Wear several layers of loose-fitting, lightweight, warm clothing. Layers of clothing trap warm air close to your body.

  10. Get your car winterized before the cold season.

  11. If you must travel when bad weather is forecast, be sure someone knows where you are going and the time you expect to arrive. Travel with someone else if at all possible.

  12. Blizzards may require long periods of isolation. If you need outside help during this time, you should know the following emergency distress signals to signal aircraft:

    Need doctorI
    Need medical suppliesII
    Need food and waterF
    Need fuelL
    International distress signalSOS

  13. Make these signals on the ground where they will be clearly visible from the air. The letters should be at least 10 feet tall.

  14. Use black cloth or plastic, hay, boards or other material readily visible on the white snow. If no materials are available, tramp the letters into the snow, deep enough to create as much shadow as possible.

Special Considerations for Travelers

When traveling any distance by car during the winter, observe these safety precautions:

  1. Before you leave, have your car checked. A thorough winterizing check should include:

  2. Select alternate routes before you leave, in case your preferred route isn't passable.

  3. Listen to the radio as you travel and heed latest weather information.

  4. Seek shelter immediately if the storm seems severe.

  5. Try not to travel alone during a storm. Two or three people are better than one because they can help each other. Travel with another car if possible.

  6. Make sure someone knows where you are going, when you leave, the time you expect to arrive and your expected route.

  7. Always fill your gas tank before entering open country, even for short distances. You will be less likely to be stranded from running out of gas. In case you are stranded by the storm, you will have enough fuel to run the motor and heat the car.

  8. Drive defensively.

  9. Carry a winter storm car kit. This should include:

Winterizing Mobile Homes

  1. Inspect the roof for leaks and cracks. Water can seep through to damage ceilings, interior panels or furnishings.

  2. Check locked or lapped roof seams for loose screws, spreading, parting or buckling. Add new screws if necessary, and cover all seams with roof coating or asphalt-base paint.

  3. Check stacks and vents for cracks, and make sure they are free of debris.

  4. Check the flashing for loose screws and separation from the roof.

  5. Clean or change furnace filters as recommended by manufacturer. Collected dust can be pulled into the motor, causing it to overheat.

  6. During the summer months when the heater is not used, keep the fuel tank full to prevent condensation and rusting.

  7. If the mobile home is not positioned on concrete pads, frozen ground may cause it to heave or rise. This could make the doors stick. To correct this, turn the jack handle on the front hitch, raising the front as needed. Reverse the jack handle when the ground thaws in the spring and the unit settles again.

  8. During sub-freezing temperatures give extra protection to water systems, especially if the unit is not set on a permanent sub-surface heated basement.

  9. Freezing problems sometimes occur in mobile home drainage systems, especially when drain pipes below the floor are installed with very little slope. To help prevent damage from freezing:

Winterizing Residential Buildings

When winterizing your house, check each of the following items. Repair as necessary.

Roof

  1. Check for broken, damaged or loose shingles; small holes; and loose nails.

  2. Check flashing around all dormers, vent pipes, chimneys and any other projections where the roof covering meets an adjoining surface.

Gutters and downspouts

  1. Clean out leaves, dirt and debris.

  2. Paint any rusty gutters.

  3. Check supports.

Exterior

  1. Repair cracks in stucco or masonry walls.

  2. Spot repair and paint any defective areas to prevent damage from freezing and thawing.

Windows and doors

  1. Check weather-stripping around windows, doors and between foundation and siding. Replace where needed.

  2. Check metal weather-stripping for dents, bends, breaks, loss of tension or other damage that could make it less effective.

  3. Repair and paint storm windows if necessary.

Heating system

  1. Have a qualified serviceman clean and check your furnace, replacing necessary parts. Furnace check should include:

  2. Remove air conditioner for winter storage. Cover with dust-proof cover. If air conditioner is left in the window, install a weather proof cover and seal the space around the unit.

Driveways and sidewalks

  1. Clean and repair cracks, fissures and joints in concrete surfaces.

  2. Upgrade gravel driveways.

  3. Repair cracks or fissures in asphalt drives. Seal with asphalt topcoating.

Preparations to Reduce Heat Loss from Buildings

  1. Install overhead and sidewall insulation.

  2. Weatherstrip and caulk around all joints and frames of windows and doors.

  3. Install storm windows and doors or insulating glass. Storm windows can result in a 10 to 20 percent reduction in heating costs. If buying storm windows is not practical (as when renting), tape clear plastic to the window frame.

  4. Clean and change furnace filters regularly. Have furnaces checked and cleaned by a qualified repairman once a year. Clean and replace air filters when they become loaded with dust or lint.

  5. Close window draperies at night. Regular draperies reduce heat loss slightly; insulated draperies cut down heat loss even more.

  6. Seal as tightly as possible any openings which may permit cold air leakage from the attic.

  7. If your basement is heated, close off upper wall construction that is open to the attic. However, be sure to provide exterior vents into the wall cavity.

  8. Repair leaking hot water faucets. Leaky faucets waste both heat and water.

  9. Close fireplace dampers when they are not in use. This will keep heated air from escaping up the chimney.

What To Do During a Home Power Failure

During severe winter storms, your home heating system could be inoperative for as long as several days. To minimize discomfort and possible health problems during this time, take the following steps:

  1. Conserve body heat.

  2. Put on extra clothing. If cold is severe, your bed may be the warmest place.

  3. Find or improvise an alternative heat source. You may have alternative heating resources around your home. Possibilities include:

  4. Provide fuel. Common fuel materials include:

  5. Select a room to be heated. To increase efficiency of available heat, close off all rooms except the one to be heated. When selecting a room or area to be heated, consider the following:

  6. Provide adequate safety measures. Safety is of prime importance in a heating emergency. Your chances of freezing to death in your home are small. Fire, asphyxiation from lack of oxygen, or carbon monoxide poisoning are much greater dangers unless you take adequate safety precautions.

Responses to Other Heat Loss Problems

During a power failure, keeping warm will be a major problem. However, several other related heat loss problems also should be considered.

  1. If it seems likely that the heat will be off for several hours in below freezing temperatures, protect exposed plumbing.

  2. If your water pump is electrically powered, a power outage could restrict your water use.

  3. Keep on hand a good supply of candles, matches and at least one kerosene or gas lantern with ample fuel. Also have a dependable flashlight with spare bulbs and batteries.

  4. If your water supply is shut off, sanitation will become a problem.

  5. Camp stoves or fireplaces may be used for cook stoves in an emergency.

Protecting Your Hot Water System During a Winter Storm Power Failure

  1. If you think the heat will be off several hours or more during below freezing temperatures, you will need to keep exposed heating pipes from freezing. This can be done by circulating water through the pipes or adding antifreeze to the system.

  2. If electrical power is available, keep the circulator pump going. Moving water does not freeze readily. However, if the room temperature drops to below 40 degrees F, you probably should begin to drain the pipes.

  3. Most hot water heating systems are not easily drained. Pipes may have to be disconnected to drain low points. Open the vents on radiators to release air so pipes can drain.

  4. Consult a heating contractor about adding antifreeze to your system.

  5. Antifreeze is poisonous and must not be allowed to get into the drinking water system. Make sure the house water system and the boiler water system are not connected.

  6. Use only antifreeze containing ethylene glycol. Do not use antifreeze containing methanol. (Methanol vaporizes readily when heated, and could cause excessive pressure in the system.)

  7. Make sure the antifreeze does not contain leak-stopping additives. These may foul pumps, valves, air vents and other parts.

Protecting Your Plumbing System During a Winter Storm Power Failure

  1. Shut off the water at the main valve, or turn off the well pump if it is in the house.

  2. Drain the pressure tank.

  3. Open all faucets until they drain completely! Some valves will open only when there is water pressure. If so, remove the valve from the faucet.

  4. Drain the entire system by disconnecting pipe unions or joints as close to the main valve as possible. You may use compressed air to blow water from pipes.

  5. Insulate undrainable pipes around their main valves. Use newspaper, blankets or housing insulation.

  6. Drain toilet flush tanks and spray hoses.

  7. Disconnect the water softening unit so water can drain from the hard and soft water pipes and from the controls. Lay the softener tank on its side to drain as much water as possible. Also drain controls and tubing on brine (salt) tank. A brine tank itself will not be harmed by freezing.

Protecting Your Sewage System During a Winter Storm Power Failure

  1. Empty all drain traps by carefully removing drain plugs or by disconnecting traps.

  2. Blow out inaccessible traps with compressed air or add ethylene-glycol base antifreeze in an amount equal to the water in the trap (1 pint to 1 quart is sufficient, depending on the size of the trap).

  3. Check kitchen sinks, bathroom sinks, bathtub drains, toilets, washtubs, showers, floor drains and sump pumps.

Protecting Appliances During a Winter Storm Power Failure

  1. Disconnect the electric power or shut off the fuel to all water-using units.

  2. Shut off the water supply and disconnect the hoses if possible.

  3. Drain all water-using appliances.

  4. Check the water heater, humidifiers, ice-making unit of the refrigerator, washing machine and the dishwasher. Do not put antifreeze in these appliances. Close valves to the furnace, water heater and dryer.

Preventing Ice Dams on Eaves

Ice dams along eaves may cause considerable damage to the roof and inside walls of a house. Poorly insulated roofs are the chief cause of ice build-up on eaves. Ice forms when the snow melts off a warm roof, runs down to the eave line, and refreezes there. Ice in the eave trough prevents water from running off freely. If water backs up high enough, it may seep under shingles and down into the house. Sometimes it leaks through plaster walls and ceiling.

Ice dams are usually a problem only on cold days when the roof is warmer than the eave overhang. On warm days the snow melts at the same rate on the eaves and water runs off freely.

To prevent ice dams:

  1. Insulate between the top floor ceiling and the attic, or along the underside of the eaves if the attic is used as living space. Insulation also will help cut fuel bills.

  2. Ventilate the attic through windows and louvers when insulation is added to the attic floor. This will help reduce moisture condensation in the attic.

  3. Use electric heating cables along the eaves if insulation or ventilation is not possible.

  4. Do not use salt to melt snow or ice from roof. Salt will rust nails, damage gutters and downspouts, and ruin next year's lawn.

Responses to Take When Caught Outdoors During A Winter Storm

Hunters, sportsmen or snowmobile riders occasionally become lost or injured in severe winter weather. Be sure someone knows where you are going and when you plan to return. Don't travel alone. Dress properly. If you do become stranded:

  1. Remain calm. Don't rush to get out immediately. You can easily become disoriented and lose your way during a snowstorm.

  2. Build a shelter for the night, preferably on the leeward side of brush or timber.

  3. Gather a fuel supply that will last throughout the night.

  4. Remain at your shelter area unless you are positive that you can walk out safely. It is better to wait for rescue than to become disoriented and further lost.

Responses If Trapped By a Blizzard While Traveling

  1. Avoid overexertion and overexposure. Strenuous acts such as pushing your car or shoveling snow can cause a heart attack in cold weather conditions.

  2. Stay in your car where you are sheltered and more likely to be found. You can become quickly disoriented when trying to walk around in blowing snow.

  3. Stay calm.

  4. Keep fresh air in your car.

  5. Exercise from time to time by clapping hands and moving arms and legs vigorously. Don't stay in one position long.

  6. Keep the dome light on at night to make the car visible to snow plows or rescue crews.

  7. Have one person keep watch. Don't allow everyone in the car to sleep at once.

  8. In a snowstorm, automobile parts can sometimes be used for emergency tools:

Special Considerations for Agricultural Producers

In addition to the precautions and responses covered in the previous pages, the agricultural producer will want to consider the following measures.

Preparing for a Winter Storm

  1. Be aware of winter storm terminology. Stockman advisories are issued with combinations of cold, wet and windy weather, specifically, cold rain and/or snow with temperatures of 45 degrees F or colder and winds of 25 miles per hour or higher. If the temperatures are in the mid-30s or lower the wind speed criteria are lowered to 15 miles per hour.

  2. Stockmen also should consider the effect of the wind chill factor on livestock.

Providing Windbreaks for Livestock Protection

  1. Simple shelters, sheds or windbreaks are necessary to protect livestock from winter storms.

  2. Consider wind and snow as a joint problem when deciding the kinds of livestock protection you need.

  3. Simple windbreaks, shelters or sheds are essential for livestock protection from wind and snow.

  4. The effectiveness of a windbreak depends on its height and density. Windbreaks may be natural (trees) or manmade (fences).

  5. Cottonwood or poplar trees are relatively ineffective as windbreaks because of their low branch density. Supplement these trees with thick-growing trees such as red pines, or with fences.

  6. Snow fences can be good substitutes for tree windbreaks which take time to grow and are not practical under all conditions.

  7. Porous fences of 80 percent density offer the best wind protection.

  8. Snow will drift through a porous fence. A solid fence keeps most of the snow outside a yard and provides the best snow barrier, but may direct snow to other parts of the farmstead. Porous fences can give good snow control if you locate the fences to allow for the resulting drifts.

  9. Swirling and relocation of snow within a farmstead is often the main cause of drifting problems.

  10. Shallow open-front sheds provide excellent shelters for livestock. Such shelters should have slot openings along the eaves on the back side of the shelter. These openings will provide ventilation and prevent snow from swirling into the front of the shed.

  11. Do not attach windbreak fences directly to the front corner of an open-front shed. Instead, use a swirl chamber arrangement.

  12. Divide long open-front sheds into 20- to 40-foot sections to reduce drafts and possible snow build-ups.

  13. Locate shelters so that adjacent buildings will not deflect wind and snow into a shed.

Creating Windbreaks On Your Property

  1. On some farms a windbreak may be necessary for protection from strong winds and blowing snow. A windbreak will:

  2. Plan the windbreak before you plant. In designing the windbreak you should consider size and location, tree species, tree spacing and soil preparation.

  3. To give the best protection from wind and snow a windbreak should be:

  4. Avoid planting windbreaks across old feedlots, near manure pits or across barnyard drainage ways. Many trees, especially evergreens, are susceptible to "nitrogen burning." If any section of the windbreak is likely to be saturated by barnyard seepage, plan to construct a ditch or use drainage tile to carry the seepage away from trees.

  5. Do not plant windbreaks where they could cause visibility hazards at intersections.

  6. If it is necessary to cross fields, driveways or large ditches with a windbreak planting, try to make the crossing at oblique angles. This will prevent direct wind tunnels through the planting.

  7. Windbreaks should contain several tree species.

  8. Sod, loosely powdered soil or field soil is best for tree planting. In late summer or early fall, plow heavy soil and soil covered with sod. If the soil has been deeply plowed and is relatively loose, roll or cultipack it.

  9. Do not overcrowd trees. Trees must have adequate space, especially when deciduous and evergreen species are mixed.

  10. Plant trees as soon as possible after receiving them. If you must hold trees for a few days before planting them, unpack them and heel them in until they are to be planted.

  11. Provide protection and care for young seedlings.

Protecting Livestock During Winter Storms Large numbers of livestock may be killed in winter storms. Wind coupled with severe or prolonged cold weather causes additional stress on livestock, increasing their need for food, water and shelter. To minimize livestock loss during winter storms, stockmen should:

  1. Move stock, especially the young, into sheltered areas.

  2. During severe or prolonged cold weather, animals need extra feed to provide body heat and to maintain production weight gains.

  3. Use heaters in water tanks to provide livestock with enough water. Cattle cannot lick enough snow to satisfy their water requirements.

Caring for Livestock After a Blizzard

  1. Following a blizzard, water will be a crucial need for livestock. Cattle will not be able to satisfy all of their water requirements by eating snow.

  2. When stock cannot be reached by roads, use planes, helicopters or snowmobiles to provide emergency rations.

Feeding Cattle After a Blizzard

  1. Feedlot cattle that have gone through a severe storm or stress period should be put back on feed carefully.

  2. Cattle which have not been fed for several days or are unaccustomed to grain should be limited to 2 to 4 pounds per head of whole grain in one feeding, or a total of 5 pounds per head the first day.

  3. Add hay, even poor quality roughage, to the ration as soon as possible. Feeding 3 pounds per head of hay daily will greatly reduce the possibility of founder (acute indigestion).

  4. Grind whole grains to increase their value to cattle. Half of some whole grains may pass through cattle undigested.

  5. Watch cattle for signs of founder.

Feeding Sheep After a Blizzard

  1. If sheep, especially pregnant ewes, are withheld from feed heavy losses may occur.

  2. Ewes in good flesh late in pregnancy may incur pregnancy disease if they are without feed for even a short time. Early symptoms of pregnancy disease include listlessness and depression. As intoxication advances, ewes develop a wobbly gait, become uncoordinated and die.

  3. Sheep can eat 1 to 3 pounds of whole grain per day. A small amount of roughage will prevent digestive trouble. Drying feed before giving it to sheep can reduce the possibility of digestive problems.

Feeding Horses After a Blizzard

  1. Horses fed a maintenance ration adequate for summer conditions may need additional energy in their winter feed.

  2. They can tolerate reduced rations for a few weeks unless they are mares nursing foals.

Feeding Swine After a Blizzard

  1. Swine present few problems during periods of feed shortage.

Protecting Poultry and Livestock During a Winter Storm Power Failure

  1. Ventilate shelter. Do not close buildings tight to conserve heat because animals could suffocate from lack of oxygen. Because oxygen eventually will be used up in mechanically ventilated production facilities, clear ice and snow from all vents. Then open vents to facilitate natural air flow.

  2. Poultry facilities should be equipped with knock-out panels for emergency ventilation.

  3. In dairy facilities, open door or turn cows outside.

  4. Provide water. All animals, especially cattle, need plenty of water during cold weather. It may be possible to drive your water pump with a small gasoline engine and a belt. Otherwise, you will need to haul water.

  5. Provide heat. Use camp stoves and heaters as emergency heat sources for brooders. Plan ahead to have this equipment ready when needed.

  6. Provide feed. Animals need extra energy for body heat during severe or prolonged cold weather, especially if they are outside without shelter. Mechanical feeders will be inoperable during a power failure. Provide for emergency feeding procedures. Pelleted cake or cake concentrate may be used for emergency feed.

Protecting Equipment During a Winter Storm Power Failure

  1. Unplug or turn off all electric equipment to prevent damage when power is restored.

  2. If you use portable space heaters for supplemental heat, close off the fuel valve as soon as possible after power is interrupted. On models not equipped with safety shut-offs, and especially on some models with gravity feed fuel systems, fuel continues to flow even when the burner is inoperative. An explosion or fire can result when power is restored.

Storing Milk and Cream During a Winter Storm Power Failure

  1. You can use the intake manifold on the tractor engine as a source of vacuum to operate milkers that do not have a magnetic pulsator.

  2. Ask the dairy to pick up milk as soon as possible.

  3. Consider adding a standby power generator to handle vital electric equipment on the dairy.

  4. Even if you are short of extra milk storage facilities, do not store milk in stock tanks or other containers such as bathtubs. Dairy plants may not accept milk that has been stored in anything other than regular milk storage containers. Check with your local dairy about policy regarding emergency storage of milk and cream.

  5. Check your tank for souring each time you add milk to it if you are unable to cool your milk or have it picked up. This check could mean the difference between losing all or only part of your milk supply.

Repairing Ice and Snow Damage to Shrubs and Trees

  1. To prevent ice damage to trees or shrubs, try to remove ice before winds cause major damage. Do not try to break ice off branches. Connect a garden hose to the hot water faucet to melt the ice. If branches have been badly damaged, remove or repair them as suggested below.

  2. Heavy accumulations of wet snow can cause damage to trees and shrubs. Evergreens and weak-wooded trees are more susceptible to snow damage than deciduous and hard-wood trees.

    Snow damage is more common to shrubs than to trees because snow depth often equals or exceeds shrub height. Evergreen shrubs are more easily damaged than deciduous shrubs because there is more foliage surface for snow accumulation.

    To remove heavy snow accumulations:

    Shrubs also may be damaged when snow from walks or drives is piled onto them, or when salt is used for snow removal along drives, walks and streets. With a hose, wash off shrubs that have been splashed with salt from streets.

    Often snow damage to evergreens is not apparent until the following spring as a broken branch will retain its green color until warm weather.

  3. Determine whether the tree can be repaired, or if it should be removed completely. If the main trunk is completely broken or if the tree is uprooted, it should be removed. Most broken branches can be either repaired or pruned. Some branches broken at a crotch can be lifted into place and then bolted and cabled.