Winter Power Outage: What to Do in the First 24 Hours

The lights flicker, then the house goes quiet. No furnace hum, no fridge. If it’s cold outside, the clock starts ticking on how warm your home stays.

Most winter outages are over in a few hours. Some last days. Either way, the first 24 hours matter most, and a simple plan makes them a lot less stressful.

The first 15 minutes

Check whether it’s just you. Look outside. If the neighbors are dark too, it’s an area outage. Report it to your utility using their app, website or phone line, even if you think someone else already has.

Grab your light. Use flashlights or LED lanterns, not candles. Candles plus blankets plus kids in a dark house is a bad mix.

Unplug sensitive electronics. TVs, computers and game consoles can be damaged by a power surge when service comes back. Leave one lamp switched on so you know when the power returns.

Save your phone battery. Turn on low-power mode and close apps you don’t need. Text instead of calling when you can, since texts get through more easily when networks are busy.

Hours 1 to 4: hold the heat

Your house is a big thermos. The goal is to keep the warm air you already have.

• Pick one room to live in, ideally a small interior room with few windows. Close the doors to the rest of the house.
• Block drafts. Roll towels along the bottom of doors. Close curtains and blinds, especially at night.
• Dress in layers. A base layer, a warm sweater and a hat do more than a single heavy coat. You lose a surprising amount of heat through your head and feet, so wear socks and slippers.
• Use blankets and sleeping bags. Huddle together on the couch or make a “fort” in your warm room. Kids usually think this part is fun.
• Eat and drink. Your body makes heat by digesting food. Warm drinks help, but skip alcohol, which makes you feel warmer while you actually lose heat faster.

Keep your food safe

Keep the fridge and freezer doors closed. According to the USDA, an unopened fridge keeps food safe for about 4 hours. A full freezer holds its temperature for about 48 hours, and a half-full one for about 24 hours.

If the outage drags on and it’s well below freezing outside, a cooler on a porch or balcony can work as a backup fridge. Keep it out of direct sun and away from animals.

When in doubt, throw it out. Perishable food that has been above 40°F for more than 2 hours isn’t worth the risk.

The mistakes that cause real harm

Every winter, people are hurt or killed during outages by carbon monoxide, an invisible gas with no smell. It comes from burning fuel in the wrong place.

Never run a generator, grill, camp stove or charcoal inside your home, garage, basement or any partly enclosed space, even with a window open. Keep generators outside, at least 20 feet from doors, windows and vents.

Never use a gas oven or stove to heat your home.

A battery-powered carbon monoxide alarm is the cheapest insurance you can buy. If it goes off, or anyone feels dizzy, sick or confused, get everyone outside into fresh air and call 911.

If you use a space heater, choose one rated for indoor use and give it at least 3 feet of clear space from anything that can burn.

Hours 4 to 24: settle in

Protect your pipes. If the house is getting cold, let faucets on outside walls drip slowly. Open the cabinet doors under sinks so warmer room air can reach the pipes.

Stay informed. A hand-crank or battery weather radio keeps official alerts coming even if cell service gets spotty. Check your utility’s outage map for restoration estimates.

Charge with care. A portable power station or power bank can keep phones and a lamp going. If you charge in the car, do it with the car parked outside in open air, never in a closed garage.

Check on people. Older neighbors, people with medical devices and families with babies are at the highest risk in the cold. A quick knock or text can make a real difference.

Know when to leave

It’s time to head somewhere warmer if:

• Your indoor temperature keeps dropping and you can’t keep your warm room above about 55°F
• Someone in the house is elderly, very young, ill or depends on powered medical equipment
• Anyone shows signs of hypothermia: shivering that won’t stop, confusion, slurred speech or unusual drowsiness

Many towns open warming centers during long outages. Check your city or county website, local news, or call 211 to find one near you.

Get ready before the next one

The best time to prepare for a winter outage is on a calm day in fall. Our free winter storm checklist covers your home, car and supplies on one page. If you’d rather skip the research, everything we’d keep in the closet is in The Winter Storm Edit.

Sources: Ready.gov winter weather and power outage guidance, CDC carbon monoxide guidance, USDA food safety guidance for power outages.