Surviving a Southern Winter
Now that we’re almost to January, let’s talk about something many of us Southerners like to pretend doesn’t exist… WINTER. That’s right, while Northerners are plowing highways and acting like parkas are normal, here in the south, we’d rather be fishing, grilling out and generally enjoying non-freezing temperatures. So, if you’re new to the South, there are a few essentials we want to make sure you have to survive a Southern Winter. We apologize to our Tennessee, Carolina and mountain-area readers who know how to winter effectively. Please add your own winter tips to our social media channels!
Check your heater: When you don’t run your heater that often, it’s easy to forget about maintenance, especially if you have a heat pump. If the auxiliary heat only comes on for one month of the year, certainly it’ll work this year right? While that’s probably true, nonuse is almost as bad as overuse for many electronics. Turn that heater on, make sure it works and have it cleaned every year. If it stops working in late January, who knows how long it will take to have it fixed?
Buy a decent snow shovel: We absolutely understand that you might use this snow shovel once every three years, if you don’t have one, you’ll never find one in the store when it actually does snow. To make matters worse, when you DO have to shovel snow in the south, it’s usually wet, heavy and icy. That’s not a job for that $10 shovel you grabbed at the dollar store last spring.
Check your emergency kit: We know you have small stock piles of food, supplies and emergency equipment during tornado season, but why not during the dead of winter? You’re almost as likely to need if, especially if the rain turns to ice. Winter storms often mean losing power and messy roads, even if you only get an inch – we’d certainly rather stay bundled up at home.
Keep layers in your car: If your car breaks down or you end up stuck in traffic, you don’t want to be without a warm coat (or blanket), gloves or even some sweatpants. If you’ll be out and about during the winter, it’s a good idea to have warm layers in the trunk. While we’re on the subject, leave the sandals at home. You’re just running to the gas station, right? Wrong! If you slide off the road or your battery dies in the cold, you’re going to wish you had decent shoes. Don’t even get us started on how cold you’ll be if there’s actually snow on the ground. It doesn’t take living in the South for long to realize we don’t have much road salt…
Don’t forget the sunscreen: Whether you’re living in a place that’s not likely to get that cold or have even a little bit of snow (looking at you Southern Texas and Florida) or you’re stocking up on blankets, it can be hard to remember to put on sunscreen when it’s warm enough to go outside without a coat in the winter. It’s also easy for those areas to be packed with tourists during the colder months, driving the cost of sunscreen through the roof. Grab a few bottles to have on hand, even in the winter.
