The first things you must do if the power goes out in brutally cold temps



MEMPHIS, Tenn. (Youdle) – When freezing weather hits and the power suddenly shuts off, the biggest concerns for most households are simple: Will the food spoil? How do we stay warm? What do we need to protect right now?

For grocery shoppers, outages aren’t just inconvenient — they affect meals, budgets, stored food, and the safety of what’s already in the fridge.

Here’s a Youdle-ready guide built specifically for people managing kids, groceries, and a house full of essentials.

Bring kids, older relatives, pets, and anyone feeling the cold quickly into the warmest interior room. Fewer open rooms = less heat loss. For shoppers, this helps preserve pantry items and meds that need stable temperatures.

Space heaters, ovens, electric skillets, irons — turn them all off.

Make sure it’s not your breaker.

Roll towels at the base of exterior doors, hang blankets over drafty windows, and shut doors to rooms you aren’t using.

No ovens, grills, or generators indoors — they cause deadly carbon monoxide buildup.

This is where grocery shoppers lose the most money. Remember:

  • A closed fridge stays cold for ~4 hours

  • A closed freezer stays cold for 24–48 hours

Opening the door “just to check” is where food safety goes downhill fast.

If you have a thermometer, aim to keep:

  • Fridge below 40°F

  • Freezer below 0°F

A slow drip keeps water moving so pipes don’t freeze and burst.

Pets lose body heat quickly.

Use low-power mode and check outages/weather quickly rather than scrolling.

  • Confirm estimated restoration time

  • Check food safety guidelines

  • See which stores near you have heat

  • Contact help if temperatures drop too low indoors

A winter outage isn’t just about staying warm — it’s about protecting groceries you already paid for, planning your next safe shopping trip, and managing essentials when cooking and refrigeration are disrupted.

Youdle helps shoppers stay prepared by showing real-time availability of essentials like:

  • Shelf-stable meals

  • Water

  • Ready-to-eat foods

  • Baby formula

  • Batteries

  • Heat-safe pantry items

When storms hit, knowing what’s in stock at local stores helps households avoid panic and overspending.

If you’re navigating this cold snap at home, you can share questions or tips with other local shoppers inside the Youdle Community.

Email Post

Popular Posts