Winter storm checklist: getting the house ready for an ice-storm outage

What this winter looks like

Updated 30 October 2026

NOAA's winter outlook, issued on October 15, is dominated by a strong El Niño. NOAA expects it to push the jet stream south and east, which tilts the odds toward a stormier, wetter winter across the southern tier, from the Southwest to the Southeast, and along the East Coast. Much of the north and east leans warmer than usual. The outlook doesn't forecast snowfall or single storms, and NOAA updates it on November 19.

A wetter South in winter is the setup for ice, and ice is what brings the lines down. Last January a storm stretching from the southern Plains to New England left close to a million customers without power at its peak. In Nashville, about 230,000 Nashville Electric Service customers lost power; it took the utility until February 6, nearly two weeks, to restore almost all of them.

The grid itself is stretched in a long cold snap. NERC's assessment for last winter found that every region had enough supply for a normal peak, but several, including New England, parts of the Southeast and Texas, could fall short in a wide, prolonged freeze. None of that is a reason to panic. It's a reason to get the house ready on a dry weekend in November instead of in a supermarket line the night before.

The home checklist

Ready.gov's advice is to have supplies in case you need to stay home for several days without power. I plan for two weeks, because that's what the bad ones run to.

Water and food

• Water: at least 1 gallon per person per day. A family of four, three days: 12 gallons. Two weeks: 56. (The full table)
• A bottle of plain unscented bleach to treat more
• Food that needs no cooking or very little: peanut butter, crackers, canned fish and beans, oats, dried fruit
• A manual can opener
• Appliance thermometers in the fridge and freezer, and jugs of water frozen in the freezer's gaps (why)
• Food, water and medicine for pets

Warmth

• A sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person
• Hats, gloves, wool socks and a change of dry clothes, in one box
• A hot water bottle or two
• Towels or draft stoppers for the doors of the warm room
• Drafts sealed where you can: Ready.gov suggests insulation, caulking and weather stripping
• Learn how to keep your pipes from freezing and where your water shut-off valve is

Light, power and news

• A flashlight per person and a headlamp, with spare batteries stored outside the devices
• A battery or hand-crank radio, plus a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert (both on Ready.gov's list)
• Phone chargers and a charged power bank
• Battery carbon monoxide alarms on every level of the house, and tested smoke alarms
• If you own a generator: a spot picked 20 feet from the house, a heavy-duty outdoor cord, and fuel stored outside (the rules)

Health and paper

• At least a week of every daily medicine, and a written list of them
• A first-aid kit
• Cash in small bills: card readers and ATMs stop when the power does
• Copies of ID and insurance in a waterproof bag
• Important phone numbers written on paper
• A plan for anyone who depends on power for a medical device: ask the supplier now about backup batteries, and ask your utility whether it keeps a list of medical-needs customers

The car checklist

From Ready.gov's winter list:

• Jumper cables
• Sand for traction
• A flashlight
• Warm clothes and blankets
• Bottled water and non-perishable snacks
• A full tank of gas

Under a winter storm warning, Ready.gov's advice is to stay off the roads. If you get stuck in the car, stay inside it. Never run the car to warm up or charge phones inside a garage, even with the door open.

When the power goes

1. Check everyoneIs anyone hurt, cold, or relying on a machine that needs power? Older neighbors living alone go on this list too.
2. Fill waterIf the tap still runs, fill pots, bottles and the bathtub. If you're on a well with an electric pump, you won't have this chance, which is why you stored water.
3. Shut the fridgeWrite down the time. Four hours for the fridge, 48 for a full freezer.
4. Set up the warm roomThe smallest room everyone fits in, other doors shut, towels at the door, blankets over the windows at night. How to stay warm in a power outage has the details.
5. Turn on the radioListen at set times, morning, midday and evening, and switch off in between to save batteries.
6. Save the phoneLow-power mode, screen dimmed, one message to family saying where you are.

After the storm

• Treat every downed line as live. Stay well away and report it to the utility.
• Shovel slowly. Ready.gov warns that overexertion while shoveling can bring on a heart attack.
• Check the food before you eat it: fridge thermometer at 40°F or below, freezer food still with ice crystals. When in doubt, throw it out.
• Restock the shelf the following week, while you still remember what you ran out of.

This page is information, not medical advice. The checklist items follow Ready.gov and the CDC; the outlook is NOAA's as of October 15, 2026, and may change at its November update.