BUFFALO, N.Y. — Even though it may not feel like winter this week, it's Winter Weather Awareness Week across the state of New York. Now wouldn't be a bad time to get your family, home and car ready for the months to come.
One of the suggested activities to do this week in an effort to prepare for winter is winterizing your car. This could mean gathering tools you may have taken out of your car in the spring and/or getting your car checked at a local shop.
In a recent conversation with Storm Team 2's Elyse Smith, meteorologist Mike Fries of the National Weather Service Office in Buffalo had some tips around preparing a vehicle for the winter driving season.
He suggests having your engine tuned up, battery checked and engine coolant or antifreeze tested to see if it can withstand the extreme cold. And installing new windshield wipers can increase visibility during times of heavy rain or snow. Finally, he suggests that snow tires or all season tires are properly inflated and have enough tread to grip the road.
Mike also mentioned creating or checking your survival kit for your car, along with putting winter gear back in your car. For winter tools, this may include a snow & ice scraper, shovel, and snow tracks for tires.
For the emergency survival kit, include blankets, bottles of water, nonperishable snacks, first aid supplies and a flashlight. Car-specific tool kits, jumper cables and an emergency hammer should also be kept in a car year-round.
Specifically for the trunk of your car, consider putting in a bag of sand, cat litter or old crate of books. This can help stabilize the weight across your car and limit the severity of skidding or sliding on ice.
Winter Weather Awareness Week for New York state began November 1.
Each day of the week was given a weather-related theme or topic with a corresponding safety plan around that impact, combining expertise from both the National Weather Service and New York State Office of Emergency Management.
