A lot of people are about to be hit with a big winter storm who are not used to this kind of weather. Here are some tips from a Minnesotan:

Keeping warm:

• avoid cotton fabrics.

• Use layers, take them off if you start to sweat.

• I like tight gloves with thick mittens, which allows use of your hands sometimes without skin exposure.

• A face mask works as a scarf or another layer in a pinch

• Warm up your home in case you lose power. Power outages may happen after the snow/freezing rain stops

Snow removal:

• Lift with your legs, not your back.

• Don’t save all of the shoveling for the very end of the storm, it’ll be more difficult and will start to create an ice layer (especially where walked on)

• if you have a car, lift up the windshield wipers before it starts snowing/freezing rain

• Completely clean your car soon after the storm. In most places, it’s illegal to drive with a lot of snow/ice on your car and super dangerous.

• If you’re parked on a street, move the car to a plowed area when possible so they can plow where you were parked

• If you have a driveway, clear off part of the street in the direction the plow will come from, so that doesn’t end up blocking your driveway

Driving

• stay home until streets are plowed if possible (thank you healthcare workers and emergency responders!)

• Turn on ABS brake and traction control settings, if available

• accelerate and take turns slowly

• Have more time/distance to brake

• Speed up before going up an incline, getting stuck and sliding back down is not fun

Sliding on ice:

• If walking, keep your feet underneath your center of gravity

• If driving, switch to neutral and steer in the direction that the back of the car is sliding, but don’t overreact on steering. Slamming brakes will make sliding worse.

Car stuck in snow:

• turn off traction control

• don’t just let the tires spin out

• try shoveling, sand/kitty litter, and rocking back and forth

• Once you get moving again, don’t stop