Preparing for winter weather

Winter Weather Awareness Week is here and continues through November 9.  It serves as the official preparation week for the weather ahead.

The National Weather Service wants you to be ready for winter.  Get your car winterized, check your tires, and if necessary get snow tires.

Make sure your car has a safety kit, including a spare tire, tools, jumper cables, and a shovel.

“People think, ‘Well, I’ve never needed a safety kit before’ but you never know, that one time when you are going to get stuck somewhere and need your blankets or having your sand, kitty litter, having things like that in your car all easy safety tips,” Meteorologist with the National Weather Service Matt Zika said. “All easy things to just put in there and keep all winter long.  Don’t wait til it’s 20–below before you are scurrying around looking for your mittens and things like that.”

If you use alternate heat sources, be sure your chimney flute is open, cleaned out, and your space heater is in good working condition.  Carbon Monoxide poisoning and fires can result from improperly working space heaters.