A dangerous winter storm swept across the country as the calendar turned, bringing blizzard warnings to parts of the Midwest and driving power outages sharply higher in its wake. Western New York and other hard-hit areas spent the final days of December restoring service, and forecasters say the stormy pattern will continue well into January.

Winter Is Just Getting Started

January and February are historically the peak months for ice storms and blizzards, and long-range outlooks suggest an active pattern ahead. The start of a new year is a natural moment to look honestly at your household’s outage readiness. If last year’s storms left you scrambling for flashlights and bags of ice, this is the year to fix that permanently.

A New Year’s Resolution Worth Keeping

• Inspect your standby generator and put maintenance on a schedule, not a whim.
• Run a test cycle monthly through the winter.
• Confirm natural gas or propane systems are fully connected and serviced.
• Consider an upgrade. Whole-home backup solutions from Generac and Kohler turn outages from emergencies into non-events.

Stay Informed

Bookmark your utility’s outage map, sign up for its alerts, and keep National Weather Service forecasts in your daily routine this winter.