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With another round of winter weather headed our way, officials say preparation is key to staying safe.

UPDATE: The National Weather Service in Riverton, has issued a Winter Storm Warning for Natrona County, from 11pm on Thursday, December 15, through 2am on Saturday, December 17.

6-8 inches of snow is projected for the lower elevations, with 10-15 inches in the mountains.

Here are some safety tips from Natrona County Emergency Manager Lt. Stew Anderson:

Vehicles:

  • Make sure your vehicles are in good working condition, including heaters, windshield wipers, and batteries.
  •  Fill up your tank. Officials advise that you shouldn’t let your tank get below half full during the winter season.
  •  Make sure you have supplies including blankets, water, food, a shovel, and a bag of sand or generic cat litter to help with traction.
  • If you get stuck or stranded, stay with your vehicle. It’s easier to locate a vehicle than a person, and it will serve as shelter until you’re rescued.
  •  If you must travel, tell someone where you’re going and the route you’ll be taking.
  •  Heed travel advisories. If the road is closed, that means it’s unsafe for everyone. If you become stranded, there may not be someone looking for you on a closed road.

Home and Power Outages

  •  Stock up on supplies. This includes food, medications, extra blankets, and battery operated lanterns and flashlights. Include a manual can opener for canned goods.
  •  Fuel: If you have an alternative heating source such as a fireplace or pellet stove, have extra fuel on hand.
  •  Stay in touch. Officials recommend keeping a battery or hand-crank operated radio, as well as extra charged batteries for your cell phone.
  •  Bundle up to heat it up. If you’re planning on using a BBQ grill for cooking during an outage, make sure you do it outside, not in the garage or your house.

Remember, dangerously low wind chill factors, such as those forecast for this storm, can cause frostbite in a very short period of time. You can find more winter storm safety information from the National Weather Service here. Find the latest forecast here.

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