Be Prepared Before the Snow Comes With These Winter Storm Tips

This is the big one!

Sunday into Monday into Tuesday, meteorologists are predicting ice, dumps trucks of snow and low, low temperatures. Welcome March, you-so-close-to-spring-big-girl.Hopefully you don't have to go out in this mess. Stay home if you can. If you must venture out, I hope you have a 4-wheel drive (4WD) or all-wheel drive (AWD) vehicle. These really are the only vehicles that can handle this amount of snow.  2-wheel drive vehicles, all I can say is, "Good luck!"If you must be outside, here are some tips to PREPARE for the storm so you can get where you are going quicker and safer.  These are a must for 2-wheel drive vehicles.

• Park your vehicle on a busier street you know will be plowed if you know your street does not get plowed or the plow comes waaaaay later. Snow plows and salt are hard to come by nowadays.
• Put a bag of sand or kitty litter in the trunk to help with tire traction if you get stuck in snow or ice. A bag of salt isn't a bad idea either. It will melt any ice or snow around the tires to help them get contact with the ground.
• A small shovel that fits in the trunk comes in handy as well. There will be undoubtedly mounds of snow surrounding the car.
• Keep a broom or brush to help wipe the snow off your car is a must. Snow left of top of the car or on the front or rear windshields is dangerous.  It limits your visibility and also blows on cars behind you, limiting others visibility.  I know it's cold, but no laziness allowed!
• Have an ice scraper for pesky ice frozen on windows.
• Fill up on gas today or tomorrow.
• While at the gas station, check your tire pressure. Make sure you have the proper amount of air pressure in your tires; around 33psi (average for most cars) if you are unsure. See last week's blog to know where to find this information.
• Make sure your wipers work and are in good shape. Also any windshield wiper fluid being used should say DE-ICER or rated at -130 deg F.
• Since we are talking about wipers, pull them up so they don't get frozen under ice and snow. Thanks to Julia Bringhurst for the tip!
• Make a new route to work or wherever you are going so you avoid streets with hills, trolley tracks, and cobblestones. You are more likely to get stuck and slide around.

Some humor to lightening up this depressing forecast.  This whole winter has felt like THE BIG ONE!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stdi-1tIUhMEmail me with an questions info@girlsautoclinic.com

Related Links

Car Tips for Cold and Snowy Winter Weather

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