Winter Storm Watch vs Warning: What to Do at Each Alert Before the Power Goes Out
Winter storm watch vs warning: an advisory means be aware, a watch means get ready, a warning means act now. A lineman's calm checklist for each level.
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The short answer on winter storm watch vs warning: a watch means a significant winter storm is possible, so get ready. A warning means it's expected or already happening, so act and stay off the roads. There's a third level that trips people up, the Winter Weather Advisory, which means wintry weather is coming but shouldn't reach warning level. The National Weather Service sums them up in a few words each: advisories are "Be Aware," watches are "Be Prepared," and warnings are "Take Action."
I'm a union lineman with 22 years on the job. When winter storms hit, I'm usually out on the lines, so my wife and our three kids (two teens and a 10-year-old) run the house on a plan we set up ahead of time. This is that plan, one alert level at a time.
The three levels in plain words
All three come from your local National Weather Service office, and each office sets its own criteria. NWS points out that the snow that triggers a Winter Storm Warning in the Northern Plains is typically much higher than what triggers one in the Southeast. So the label tells you more than any single number does.
Alert
What it means
Your job
Winter Weather Advisory
Snow, blowing snow, ice, sleet or a mix is expected, but not bad enough for a warning
Be aware. Plan for slow roads.
Winter Storm Watch
Conditions are favorable for a significant winter storm: heavy snow, heavy sleet, ice or a combination
Get ready while stores are open and roads are clear.
Winter Storm Warning
A significant winter storm is expected or occurring, and travel may become difficult or impossible
Take action. Be home and stay home.
Two details from the NWS forecaster instructions make this clearer:
A watch means the odds have gone up, but timing or location is still uncertain. Offices aim to issue one with as much lead time as possible once they're at least 50 percent confident the storm will reach warning level.
Warnings and advisories both mean it's likely. Both are aimed at 80 percent confidence or more. The difference is how bad it gets. A warning is for conditions that threaten life or property. An advisory is for conditions that cause significant inconvenience and could turn dangerous if you aren't careful.
Ready.gov adds typical timing: Winter Storm Watches usually go out 12 to 48 hours before a storm, and Winter Storm Warnings usually 12 to 24 hours before.
An advisory isn't the "don't worry" level. A light glaze of ice on the morning commute can still put cars in ditches. It just isn't expected to reach warning criteria.
The names changed, so here are the current ones
NWS has been simplifying its alert names for several winters under a project called Hazard Simplification. A few changes matter for winter:
Since 2017, the Freezing Rain Advisory and Lake Effect Snow Advisory were folded into the Winter Weather Advisory, and the Blizzard Watch and Lake Effect Snow Watch were folded into the Winter Storm Watch. Blizzard Warnings still exist. Lake Effect Snow Warnings are still issued in some regions, while others use a Winter Storm Warning instead.
Since October 1, 2024, the wind chill alerts are gone. Wind Chill Watch became Extreme Cold Watch, Wind Chill Warning became Extreme Cold Warning, and Wind Chill Advisory became Cold Weather Advisory. NWS made the change to make clear that cold can be dangerous with or without wind.
Some older pages, including the NWS winter alerts page itself, still list the wind chill names and the old lake effect advisory. If your phone shows an Extreme Cold Warning, that's the current name for the same kind of danger. Cold alerts can come with a winter storm or right after one, so watch for both.
Winter Readiness Kit: start under $50
You don't need a big purchase to be ready for the first alert of the season. Start with the free steps:
Turn on alerts. Ready.gov recommends signing up for your community's warning system. The Emergency Alert System and NOAA Weather Radio also carry alerts. A weather radio keeps working when cell service is spotty. Our guide to NOAA weather radio for outage alerts covers what to look for.
Fill water jugs. Ready.gov's kit guideline is one gallon per person per day for several days. For a family of five, that's 5 gallons a day.
Pick a warm room the family will use if the heat goes out.
Keep the gas tank full. Ready.gov lists a full tank in its winter car guidance.
Then put a small kit in one bin so nobody hunts for it in the dark.
Starter tier (about $45 total at last check):
Amazon Basics AA batteries, 20-pack, about $9.99 at last check. Ready.gov lists extra batteries for radios and flashlights. Check what your gear takes, and test the smoke and CO alarms while you're at it.
Prices change, so check the listing before you buy. Our 72-hour kit builder turns your household size into a shopping list you can build over a few paydays.
Winter Weather Advisory: be aware
An advisory is your early heads-up. Nothing major should happen, but you want to be ahead of it.
Check the forecast twice a day so you'll see an upgrade to a watch or warning.
Allow extra time for travel, and drive like the roads are worse than they look. NWS advice is to be prepared for winter driving conditions and use caution.
Charge phones, power banks and any power station.
Make sure the car kit is in the car. Ready.gov's list includes jumper cables, sand, a flashlight, warm clothes, blankets, bottled water and non-perishable snacks. Our emergency car kit guide compares ready-made options.
Winter Storm Watch: get ready
A watch is your last calm window. Stores are open, roads are clear and nobody is fighting over the last bag of ice melt. Use it.
Supplies. Ready.gov says to gather supplies in case you need to stay home for several days without power, including each person's specific needs, like medication. Refill any prescription that would run out within a week.
Batteries and light. Put flashlights and headlamps where anyone can find them in the dark, with spare batteries next to them.
Fuel. Fill the car and any generator fuel cans now, before lines form.
Water. Fill the jugs if you haven't already. With a well pump, no power usually means no water.
Power. Charge everything. If you have a generator, test-run it outdoors so you aren't learning on the first cold night. Our list of what loads to drop the first night of an outage helps you rank what gets power.
The house. Ready.gov suggests learning how to keep pipes from freezing and testing smoke and CO alarms with battery backups.
The family plan. Decide who does what if the power goes out. In our house that plan runs without me, because a watch is often when I'm getting ready for a long stretch at work.
Give everyone a job. In our house, my older son takes care of the generator, the power station and the water. My wife handles all the other prep. My daughter takes care of our two cats. The 10-year-old handles the flashlights and batteries.
Winter Storm Warning: take action
When the warning comes, the prep should already be done. Now the job is to stay safe and let the storm pass.
Delay travel. NWS advice for a Winter Storm Warning is to delay your travel plans until conditions improve. Ready.gov's advice: if you're under a warning, find shelter right away, and stay off roads if at all possible. If you get stuck in your car, stay inside it.
Stay home and stay warm. Move into the warm room before you need it.
Pace the shoveling. Ready.gov warns that overexertion while shoveling raises the risk of a heart attack. Take breaks, and let the teens help.
Watch for cold injuries. Ready.gov lists the signs of hypothermia as shivering, exhaustion, confusion, fumbling hands, memory loss, slurred speech or drowsiness. A body temperature below 95 degrees is an emergency.
Heat safely. Ready.gov says never to heat your home with a gas stovetop or oven. Only use generators and grills outdoors. If you're considering a propane heater, read our indoor propane heater safety guide first.
A Blizzard Warning is the step beyond: frequent gusts of 35 mph or more with snow cutting visibility below a quarter mile for three hours or longer. NWS advice is simple: do not travel.
Ice Storm Warning: why ice takes the power out
NWS says Ice Storm Warnings are usually issued for ice accumulation of around 1/4 inch or more. That number isn't universal. The NWS winter instructions say ice criteria are set locally, with higher thresholds where people are used to ice and lower ones where smaller amounts cause major problems. Some offices use 1/2 inch, others 1/4 inch. Check your local office's criteria page if you want the exact number for your area.
Whatever the threshold, NWS is direct about what that much ice does: it "will make travel dangerous or impossible and likely lead to snapped power lines and falling tree branches." The agency's instructions add that significant ice pulls down trees and utility lines, "resulting in loss of power and communication."
Here's how I see it from the bucket. Ice coats every branch and every wire, and that added weight is what snaps limbs and brings trees down onto the lines. The trees cause most of the outage. A lot of the time, tree crews have to clear the damage before we can even start restoring power. That's why ice outages tend to run longer than a typical windstorm.
Restoration follows an order, too. The Edison Electric Institute lays out the usual steps: first make sure power is no longer flowing through downed lines, then power plants, high-voltage transmission lines, substations, essential services like hospitals and water systems, the lines that bring back the most customers fastest, and finally individual homes and small groups of customers. If your street is the last one dark, that's usually why.
Two things are on you after an ice storm:
Your service drop. If a falling limb pulls the wire off your house, the damage can run from the weatherhead down to the meter, and that equipment is yours, not the utility's. If it isn't safe to re-energize, an electrician has to repair it first. Call one early so you're ready when the crew gets to you. Our ice storm power outage guide covers heat and CO for a multi-day outage.
Never backfeed. CPSC warns that plugging a generator into a wall outlet puts utility workers and neighbors served by the same transformer at risk of electrocution. Our generator safety guide covers connecting a generator to the house.
Run any generator outside only, at least 20 feet from windows, doors and attached garages, per Ready.gov. That same guide covers placement, and every level of the house should have a working CO alarm.
EEI's advice is that customers should never touch damaged equipment. Stay well away from downed wires and report them to your utility.
After the storm passes
When the warning expires, the outage may not be over. Keep checking the forecast in case an Extreme Cold Warning or Cold Weather Advisory follows the storm. Keep the warm room going, ration the battery for what matters most, and check on neighbors, especially older adults. Ready.gov notes that winter storms put older adults, children, sick people and pets at greater risk.
Then write down what ran out first. That's next year's shopping list.
Adapt. Prepare. Evolve.
FAQ
What is the difference between a winter storm watch and a warning?
A Winter Storm Watch means conditions are favorable for a significant winter storm, but timing or location is still uncertain. A Winter Storm Warning means a significant winter storm is expected or occurring. Watch means get ready. Warning means take action and delay travel.
Is a Winter Weather Advisory worse than a watch?
No, they measure different things. An advisory means lighter wintry weather is likely, but below warning criteria. A watch means a bigger storm is possible but not yet certain. Either one can upgrade to a warning, so keep checking the forecast.
How much ice triggers an Ice Storm Warning?
NWS says it's usually around 1/4 inch of ice or more, but each local office sets its own criteria. Some use 1/2 inch. Check your local NWS office for the exact number.
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*Written by Mike Sasarak, a union electrical lineman with 22 years on the job. He sees how power actually fails, and what families need when it does, on ordinary workdays, not just big name disasters.*