Anna Grigorjeva - Getty Images/iStockphoto

A bitterly cold arctic blast of air from Canada is expected to bring life-threatening cold to parts of the United States in the lead-up to Christmas, weather officials have warned. 

Temperatures will plummet so low in some areas that exposed skin could suffer from frostbite in five minutes.

Also: The best extreme weather tech

And this is just the beginning, with temperatures in affected areas dropping 30 to 50 degrees below normal in the coming days.

Recommends

The best home battery

There are many benefits to having an effective battery backup system for your home.

Read now

Winter is coming. 

Whether you're someone who hunkers down when the weather gets bad, or you have to be outandabout, technology can make a difference. And while most of the time that difference is reducing a problem into an inconvenience, sometimes -- and I don't want to sound overly dramatic saying this -- it can be the difference between life and death.

Here's my plan of action. And while it changes as tech moves forward and I learn more, I find this covers most of the bases.

Note that you might need to cater for different types of emergencies. Maybe the power goes out for days or even weeks, or maybe flooding is a risk. 

Also: iPhone 14 vs. Garmin inReach Messenger: Which SOS tech is right for you?

Let your personal experiences guide you!

1. Start with the kit

I'm going to break these down into the essentials, and things that are nice to have, both for the home and in the car. 

I will recommend some products that I have personally tested and use that I have found to be reliable (this is not the time to find out that something is unreliable!).

Home kit

The essentials

• Power bank  (andcables )
• LED flashlight
• Waterproof bags for your devices and belonging
• Fire extinguisher
• Spare batteries for anything that takes batteries
• Warmhats and gloves
• Emergency food (remember to have food for your furry companions too)

Also: The 5 best fire extinguishers

Things that are nice to have

• Power station  
• Gas generator (be aware that these things come with a load of dangers and caveats)
• Emergency radio
• Multitool
• USB heated blanket -- these things are super warm, don't need mains power, and there's no risk of a fire!
• Entertainment that doesn't require power or internet (such as board games)

Also: The 5 best portable power stations

Car kit

The essentials

• Weatherproof power bank (andcables )
• LED road flare and flashlight
• First aid kit
• Fire extinguisher
• Emergency mylar blankets  
• Warm hats  and gloves
• De-icer and scraper
• Snacks

Things that are nice to have

• Multitool
• Jump starter
• Tire inflator  
• Camp meals
• SOS satellite beacon
• Spare set of warm clothes
• Some entertainment (especially if you might have kids in the car, a book or toy goes a long way when waiting for a tow truck)

Also: The best portable jump starters

2. Familiarize yourself with any kit you don't know how to use

I've seen people superglue their hand to their face, smash themselves in the teeth with a hammer while trying to put up storm shutters, struggle for over an hour trying to start a gasoline generator that didn't have any gas in it, turn an expensive tent into a fireball attempting to refill a gasoline stove that was already lit, slice their hand open with a screwdriver, and settle down to read the instructions for some essential bit of kit as a massive storm approaches.

Add stress and fear into the mix, and you have the potential for a lot of chaos.

Not sure how your portable battery pack, generator, or new weather app works? The time to be figuring this out is now, not when you are hip-deep in snow and the lights are out.

Also: The 5 brightest flashlights

Oh, and now is a good time to download and print out any manuals you might need.

Also, the more you practice and use your gear, the more likely you are to remember you have it. I've known people forget that they have some useful bit of kit when an emergency hits. 

It's not a failing, it's human nature.

3. Charge all your gadgets all at once

Do this while you have power! 

This is especially important if you live somewhere where the power is likely to go out.

Also, remember to charge up any portable battery packs and rechargeable batteries that you might have (you might not need them, but they may help a neighbor out of a bind).

For things I keep at home, I charge these up to 100%, and I have a power station and a couple of power banks that stay on charge all the time for such emergencies. 

Also: The 5 best portable power banks 

For things that I throw into the car and forget about for six months or a year, I charge these up to about 80%, as this is better for longer-term storage.

4. Keep your eye on the weather

Here is a selection of websites that will let you do just that. You might also want to make a note of a local weather station and news site.

• Weather.gov
• Weather Underground
• Weather Channel

Also: The best generators

And here are a couple of apps to help you stay informed:

• Apple Weather (iPhone and iPad)
• Weather Underground: Forecasts (Android)
• Weather.gov

5. Weatherproof your devices

If you have big, cumbersome weatherproof cases for your smartphones and tablets that you don't normally use, now is the time to put them on.

Go on. No one will judge you!

Also: How to get water out of your phone

If you don't have a weatherproof case, then a Ziploc bag is better than nothing. And if you have one of those little bags of silica gel that comes with all sorts of things you buy, throw one or two of those into the bag with your device, as it'll help absorb any water that makes its way into the bag.

6. Back up your data

Fire, flood, theft. These can take your device, but if you have a backup, your data is not lost.

An off-site or cloud backup is preferable (even if "off-site" means keeping a drive at a friend or family member's house).

If all you have is an external hard drive or USB key, then that will have to do -- pop it into a waterproof bag to give it a fighting chance! Alternatively, you can invest in awaterproof and fireproof storage drive . 

Also: The best external hard drives

My solution is to back up to the cloud using Backblaze, and also have local backups in awaterproof and fireproof RAID external unit  for easy access.

7. Take a first aid class

It could save a life.

More how-tos

How to set up and use Meta's Threads as a Windows 11 desktop app3 essential Windows tools for troubleshooting (and how to use them)How to use iOS 17's 'Live Voicemail' transcriptions, and which iPhones support itBing Chat now has the highly-requested dark mode. Here's how to turn it on

• How to set up and use Meta's Threads as a Windows 11 desktop app
• 3 essential Windows tools for troubleshooting (and how to use them)
• How to use iOS 17's 'Live Voicemail' transcriptions, and which iPhones support it
• Bing Chat now has the highly-requested dark mode. Here's how to turn it on