If you live in an area where you get to see all the seasons you might be excited about the cold front coming this weekend. Whether your happy winter is lasting a little longer or you’re sad to have to wear a jacket, that doesn’t change the fact that it’s going to be cold! You probably know to cover your plants and bring your pets indoors. Remember they may have fur, but if it’s too cold for you, it’s too cold for them.
For the folks who live upstate, you probably know the drill, as for the Floridians. It’s snowing! Yes, actual snow for the first time since 1989.
YO ITS ACTUALLY SNOWING IN TALLAHASSEE pic.twitter.com/Ydh9pc4QPG
— Big Ern (@ernstnation) January 3, 2018
Portions of the roads and bridges have been shut down in Tallahassee due to the extreme temperature drop. They call it a bombogenesis, basically when a storm lowers 24 millibars in less than 24 hours. I guarantee anyone along the east coast will experience a heavy gust of wind and possible snowfall.
According to CNN’s meteorologist Michael Guy:
“The unusually frigid conditions sweeping Florida led to the closures of Florida State University and Florida A&M University on Wednesday. They also forced the temporary closures of Orlando water parks and prompted authorities to open dozens of emergency shelters and in Pensacola, water fountains turned into ice sculptures.”
While we still have time and the temperature keeps dropping our wonderful friends at the American Red Cross Association put together ten very helpful safety tips to get ready for the cold.
1. Layer up! Wear layers of lightweight clothing to stay warm. Gloves and a hat will help prevent losing your body heat.
2. Don’t forget your furry friends. Bring pets indoors. If they can’t come inside, make sure they have enough shelter to keep them warm and that they can get to unfrozen water.
3. Remember the three feet rule. If you are using a space heater, place it on a level, hard surface and keep anything flammable at least three feet away – things such as paper, clothing, bedding, curtains or rugs.
4. Requires supervision – Turn off space heaters and make sure fireplace embers are out before leaving the room or going to bed.
5. Don’t catch fire! If you are using a fireplace, use a glass or metal fire screen large enough to catch sparks and rolling logs.
6. Protect your pipes. Run water, even at a trickle, to help prevent your pipes from freezing. Open the kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing. Be sure to move any harmful cleaners and household chemicals out of the reach of children. Keep the garage doors closed if there are water lines in the garage.
7. Better safe than sorry. Keep the thermostat at the same temperature day and night. Your heating bill may be a little higher, but you could avoid a more costly repair job if your pipes freeze and burst.
8. The kitchen is for cooking. Never use a stove or oven to heat your home.
9. Use generators outside. Never operate a generator inside the home, including in the basement or garage.
10. Knowledge is power. Don’t hook a generator up to the home’s wiring. The safest thing to do is to connect the equipment you want to power directly to the outlets on the generator.
Share these helpful tips with anyone you know experiencing “winter” for the first time.
