He's seen it all: Stormhunter's advice ahead of the storm
Meteorologist
Tuesday, January 15, 2019, 6:12 PM - Winter’s back in town and it's angry.
With the potential for a winter storm hitting Ontario and a dangerous deep freeze, the big question for a lot of people is: How do I prepare for this?
Having been through more storms than I can count, here’s my advice (keep in mind that this has been gleaned through many, MANY miserable moments of ice and snow dropping down my back or in my boots, I'm hoping this will help you avoid doing what I do).
PLAN AHEAD
First up, the best thing you can do is stay home during a storm. My advice is to prepare now -- grab whatever groceries you need for a couple of days at home and make sure your Netflix account is paid up. Assume that going out will be dangerous, difficult and miserable. So, if you can somehow stay home, do so.
IT'S ALL ABOUT WHAT YOU WEAR
If an emergency strikes and you have to go out, make sure you're dressed appropriately. Here's what I recommend:
Good boots. I can’t stress this enough. Having warm, dry feet is critical to getting around. Forget style, make warmth your priority; Doc Martens are no good for this. Boots that are slightly too large are often good because you can get a second pair of socks in there. Be careful not to pack your feet too tight; circulation is critical to keep your feet warm. I’ve made this mistake a few times and I’ve ended up pulling off socks to warm my feet. I use a pair of Columbia Titanium boots and I find them perfect for what I do. Good treads, nice and warm with a bit of room for extra socks.
Winter pants. As much as the 'whiff, whiff, whiff' sound takes you back to Grade 2 and your mother telling you that you don't look dorky with snow pants on, keeping your legs warm and dry should be a priority. These should work in conjunction with your boots to keep snow from filling your boots. The ones I use wrap tight around the boots and ensure that no matter how deep the snow, none is getting in. If you can’t get a good pair, layer up. I use a variety of long underwear under a pair of jeans (yes, I’m all too Canadian) and I find that depending on temperatures, even a very thin pair can keep you warm. Keep in mind that moving from the cold outdoors into the warm indoors can be annoying (your legs tend to sweat).
Layers on the torso. I use a t-shirt as an under layer and then, depending on how cold it’s going to be, a couple of long sleeve layers. One thing to note though, cotton should be avoided if possible. When cotton gets wet, it loses it’s insulating capabilities. However, if you’re only going to be in the city or doing quick runs to work, you can get away with it. Fleece is a great warm layer and you’ll see me in one constantly during the winter. Layering is one of those things that works so well for a couple of reasons -- more layers means more air pockets and increased warmth, and secondly, you can peel off layers when you get too warm.
A good jacket. I could write a whole article on this alone. There's a massive variety of types, shapes, etc. What I like is having a jacket that's down filled with a hood. This upcoming storm will be colder than most, so I’ll be wearing it for sure. If you don't have one of these, under layers will be important and I'd recommend that you have a jacket that acts to cut the wind. This storm will be packing a lot of cold wind so wind chill will be a big factor.
Accessories. This is the catch all for gloves, hats, scarves etc. I use a variety of fleece "wraps" (i.e. hat, neck warmer, etc) and I find that they make all the difference when being outdoors in cold and snow. What I find most painful is when my ears get cold, so I tend to wear a good head covering that wraps down and around my neck (a balaclava) along with a set of ski goggles. As a storm chaser, I end up standing out in the wind a lot, so snow goggles are a must for me, but likely overkill for most of you. Gloves are always good and theres two basic types – mitts and gloves. Mitts are great for keeping your hands toasty, but are not great for doing anything else, like using your keys or driving a car. I have both, but I like my bulky down gloves better than mitts. I find that my fingers only get cold in temperatures below -15C.
I hope this helps you a bit in preparing for the oncoming storm, but if there's one piece of advice that you really should heed, it’s this: Stay inside and just watch me on The Weather Network show you why staying inside is the far better choice.
Why do I do this job again?
Follow Mark (@StormhunterTWN) on Twitter as he brings you the latest updates on #ONSTORM.
