Temperatures in the listening area will continue to drop heading into New Years Day 2017. According to the National Weather Service, the low temperature New Years Eve is projected to be around 12 and for New Years Day night is 7. This can set up dangerous weather conditions if not prepared. Here are some tips to help you prepare for the arctic temperatures:

1.) Wear Multiple Layers of Clothes – now is not the time to strut around in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Dress in multiple layers to keep your core temperature comfortably warm.

2.) Don’t Forget Your Socks – according to the University of San Diego, if you have cold feet, you’re going to be cold. Keep warm by wearing thick wool socks

3.) Keep Your Oven Door Open – after baking, keep your oven door open to let its heat circulate throughout your kitchen. The smaller your home, the better this technique works.

4.) Eat Hot Soups – raise your core temperature by consuming hot soup on cold winter days.

5.) Don’t Skip the Coffee or Tea – along with the caffeine boost, hot coffee or tea keeps you warm from the inside. Want to avoid stimulants? Drink decaffeinated coffee or tea.

6.) Open Your Window Curtains or Blinds – during the day, open curtains or blinds to let warm sunlight naturally heat your home.

7.) Close Window Curtains and Blinds at Night – prevent Father Winter from stealing your heat by closing window blinds and curtains at night when temperatures drop. Making some thermal curtains from an old comforter is one of the best low-cost ways to keep warm and stop heat from escaping from doors and windows. Sure it’s a very simple solution, but often the simple things are worth talking about and focusing on. Sometimes things like making some DIY thermal curtains are so simple they are often overlooked, but if you have a cold, draughty house, some thick thermal curtains will make a huge difference if you hang some over your doors and windows. This is a good project to get working on now before it starts to get really cold. Making your own DIY thermal curtains doesn’t really get much easier than this – an old comforter, a bit of sewing and a few hooks and you are all but done. You can pick up old comforters from Craigslist and thrift stores etc, you can probably even get them for free if you ask around.

8.) Stay Active – clean your home or exercise whenever you feel the sting of coldness. By staying active, you’ll naturally increase your core temperature.

9.) Increase Humidity in Your Home – humidity increases the temperature within your home. Therefore, skip your space heater and turn on an energy-efficient humidifier

10.) Reverse Ceiling Fan Circulation – instead of keeping your ceiling fan turned off, reverse its circulation to push warm air down into your living space. This is effective after you’ve run your heater for a little while.

11.) Buffer Hard Floors With Blankets – while rugs are best if your budget doesn’t allow for this purchase, place blankets on bare floors to keep them warm.

12.) Keep Bathroom Doors Open When Showering – let the warm, humid air seep out into the rest of your home while showering by keeping your bathroom door open.

13.) Don’t Run Bathroom Ventilation Fans – while ventilation fans draw out unpleasant smells after using the bathroom, it also sucks out warm air. Light a candle to eliminate smells to keep your bathroom warm throughout winter months.

14.) Use Towels to Block Chilly Air – roll up a towel and place along the bottom of a door to stop drafts and heat leaks. Alternatively, you could make some homemade door snakes/draft stoppers.

15.) Use caution with space heaters – While space heaters provide warmth, they can be potentially deadly if anything that can catch on fire is left close to them. Keep the area around a space heater clear of anything that can ignite. Also do not use extension cords with space heaters. Plug them direct into a wall socket.

16.) Keep the Fireplace Flue Shut – prevent winter drafts by keeping your fireplace flue tightly shut.

17.) Enhance Your Bedding – change out your sheets for flannel and use a down comforter to stay warm during frosty winter nights.

18.) Warm a Bag of Beans – heat up a bag of beans in the microwave and place in your bed or against you while lounging on the couch. This is one of my favorite ways to keep warm and snug on a cold evening.

19.) Cover Your Head – much like your feet, heat escapes through your head. Wear a wool hat or beanie to keep your body toasty. It might seem strange to wear a hat indoors, but so much of your heat is lost through your head, so wearing a hat indoors is an excellent way to keep warm and retain your body temperature.

20.) Keep Door Shut – keep all the doors in your home shut. The smaller the space, the easier it is to keep warm.

21.) Stay Away From Windows – move furniture away from large windows to keep warm. Even treated windows emit cooler temperatures during the peak of winter.

21.) Stay Cozy – when lounging on your couch, cover with a warm blanket or sleeping bag.

22.) Wear Slippers – in addition to wearing wool socks, keep your feet extra toasty when doing chores by wearing slippers.

23.) Install Clear Shower Curtains Over Windows – allow your home to absorb heat, and keep it in, by installing clear shower curtains over windows that receive direct sunlight.

24.) Add Insulation in Your Attic – keep heat from leaking out of your home by adding insulation to your attic or crawl space. Your house loses heat through the attic in a similar way in a similar way to how people lose heat through their head. If you can afford it, insulating your attic is one of the best investments with regards to staying warm this winter.

25.) Dress in layers if you have to go outside – This was addressed in our 1^st tip on this list but let’s cover it again. Hypothermia can set in within a minute or two if the temperature is below 32 degrees and seconds if it is in single digits. Try to limit time outside when chill factors are in the teens to single digits.

26.) Check on elderly as well as pets in cold temps – Check on the elderly when temperatures are dangerously low. Outside pets should be brough in below freezing temperatures.

27.) Insulating exposed pipes to prevent water from freezing – A busted water pipe from freezing weather will cause problems. Either insulate exposed pipes or let a very small stream of water flow into a sink to prevent the pipes from freezing up.