Why winter storms are harder than other outages
In summer a power outage is an inconvenience. In January it puts a clock on the house, because an unheated home keeps getting colder for as long as the power stays off. In the 1998 ice storm some customers waited as long as about five weeks for power, and several of the deaths were from carbon monoxide as people tried to heat their homes.
It still happens. The March 2025 ice storm in Ontario affected more than a million customers, and Hydro One described it as its most severe event since 1998. Road closures often arrive with the outage, so plan to stay put for a few days as well as to leave.
Before the storm
Start with the general outage setup described under power outages, then add the cold-specific pieces.
- Real insulation for every person: a sleeping bag or wool blankets, a hat, dry socks. The Winter Pack is built around this.
- A working carbon monoxide alarm on every level, with fresh batteries.
- Three days of water and food that can be eaten cold.
- Know where your main water shut-off is, in case a pipe freezes and splits.
- A kit in each vehicle: blanket, extra clothing, small shovel, scraper, light, food that will not spoil, and sand or cat litter for traction.
- A full fuel tank and a charged phone when a storm is in the forecast.
During: staying warm without the furnace
Pick one room, ideally a small one away from the wind, and move the household into it. Close interior doors, cover windows at night and put blankets or cushions between people and the floor. Wear layers and a hat indoors and keep clothing dry.
Eat regularly and drink water. Check on anyone older, very young or living alone, since they lose heat faster and may not say so. Leave for a warming centre or another home before the house is too cold and before the roads get worse, not after.
If you are stranded in a vehicle, stay with it. It is shelter and it is easier for rescuers to find than a person on foot. Keep the exhaust pipe clear of snow, open a window slightly when the engine is running, and put on the extra layers from your kit early.
Common mistakes
The dangerous errors in a winter storm are nearly all attempts to make heat.
- Bringing outdoor heat indoors. Barbecues, camp stoves, patio heaters and generators produce carbon monoxide. It has no smell, taste or colour, and no mask in a home kit stops it.
- Heating with the oven or gas range. A gas range is for cooking only.
- Counting on foil blankets. Thin foil blankets cut wind and reflect some heat, but they insulate very little. Treat them as an extra layer over wool or a sleeping bag.
- Relying on candles for light or warmth. They add a fire risk when people are tired and bundled in bedding. LED lights are the safer default.
- Driving when you could stay. Most winter emergencies in a car start with a trip that could have waited.