5 Essential Products to Help Weather a Winter Storm
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“Never put off for tomorrow, what you can do today.”
That notion, attributed to Thomas Jefferson, is especially true on the eve of a winter storm.
During winter months, each storm brings with it a new round of people flooding home-improvement centers in search of generators, flashlights, and just about anything else that can help weather prolonged cold spells and periodic power outages.
And ultimately, the eve of a storm is a terrible time to shop for cold-climate essentials.
"The period leading up to, and immediately after, a bad storm tends to be the worst time to shop for essentials like generators and snow blowers," says Courtney Pennicooke, CR's market analyst who oversees outdoor power equipment and generators.
Instead, seize any lull in bad weather to make informed purchases on the gear you'll need most when clouds turn gray.
Here, we've compiled the five items that CR's experts consider to be essential for weathering a bad winter storm—and, for each product category, top-rated picks from our tests. To learn more about each, you can see our buying guides for generators, chainsaws, space heaters, snow blowers, and smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. CR members can also jump to our ratings of generators, chainsaws, space heaters, snow blowers, and smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.
For the models below, we kept price in mind, too. You don't have to spend a fortune to get your home winter storm-ready.
Generator
If you live in an area prone to power outages, consider a stationary generator. These are generally more expensive, but they can run on your home's natural gas supply, or on propane for up to 13 days. Natural gas versions run indefinitely. Opt for a licensed electrician, who should connect it to your home’s electrical panel using a transfer switch.
Alternately, a portable generator can save you several thousand dollars. Consumer Reports recommends only models with integrated safety technology, including an emergency carbon monoxide shutoff that disables the machine when it's used indoors, or in an enclosed space.
Even with this potentially life-saving safety feature, it's crucial that you use a portable generator only outdoors, at least 20 feet from the house, with the exhaust directed away from any windows or doors.
You'll want to hire a pro to connect your portable generator using a transfer switch. But in a pinch, we walk through how to get your generator safely up and running during an outage until you have it installed professionally.
Here, a stellar home standby generator and two portable generators that earn CR recommended status, both because of their life-saving safety features and solid all-around performance during an outage.
Snow Blower
If the allure of easily removing snow from your driveway hasn’t motivated you to buy a snow blower, try thinking of it as a safety tool.
In a serious winter storm, you’ll be glad you have a snow blower, which can easily clear a path to your car, not to mention make it possible to pull out of your driveway once the plows have passed.
Below, the best budget-friendly snow blowers to clear a path quickly.
Space Heater
If the power goes out and you’re relying on a generator, a space heater will let you hunker down in a single room and stay warm while using considerably less energy than an electric heat pump or furnace, both of which heat your whole house.
If you heat your home with gas or propane or another heating source, skip the space heater in favor of your furnace. And if you rely on propane, heating oil, or wood pellets and a bad storm makes the roads impassable but doesn’t knock out the power, use the heater to stay warm and toasty while you wait for your next delivery.
We've rounded up three top-rated and inexpensive space heaters from our ratings.
Chainsaw
Heavy snow and ice can down branches long after a storm has passed. That’s one of the struggles faced by utility workers as they attempt to restore power after a storm. So take a hint from them and buy and use a chainsaw before a winter storm hits.
Not only will you get to choose from top-performing models, but by being proactive and trimming precarious limbs before a storm, you’ll also minimize damage to your home during snowfall and avoid the tedious yard cleanup after.
Below, three stellar chainsaws for quickly clearing limbs.
Smoke & CO Alarms and Fire Extinguishers
All three are safety essentials, but the unusual risks posed by weathering a winter storm power outage make them even more important.
Burning candles for light, operating a generator, or using a space heater can all increase the chances you’ll need one of these life-saving devices.
Here, three standout smoke and CO alarms.
Generator Tips
Damaging storms can happen at any time. On the "Consumer 101" TV show, host Jack Rico learns from Consumer Reports’ expert Paul Hope how to avoid being left in the dark during a power outage.
More from Consumer Reports:
Top pick tires for 2016
Best used cars for $25,000 and less
7 best mattresses for couples
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