Snow Day Essentials — What International Students Need When Campus Shuts Down

A "snow day" is one of America's most beloved traditions: a day when snow is so heavy that schools, offices, and sometimes entire cities shut down. For kids, it's a holiday. For adults, it's a day of working from home in pajamas. For international students from warm countries, it can be confusing, isolating, and — if you're unprepared — genuinely dangerous.

Here's how to be ready.

Understanding Winter Weather Alerts

The National Weather Service issues alerts in escalating severity:

How You'll Know

• University alerts: Your school sends email/text notifications about closures
• Phone: Emergency alerts push automatically to your phone
• Weather apps: Weather.com, Dark Sky, or your phone's built-in weather app
• Local news: TV stations run constant weather coverage during major storms

Before the Storm: Preparation

When a Winter Storm Watch is issued (24-48 hours before):

Food and Water

• 3 days of food that doesn't require cooking (in case of power outage):
  • Bread, peanut butter, crackers
  • Canned food (soup, beans, tuna) + can opener
  • Fruit (apples, oranges, bananas)
  • Granola bars, trail mix, dried fruit
  • Instant noodles (if you have a way to boil water)
• Water: Fill some containers or buy a case of bottled water. Pipes can freeze in extreme cold.
• Don't wait until the last minute: Grocery stores before a storm are chaotic. Go the day the Watch is issued.

Power and Warmth

• Charge everything: Phone, laptop, portable charger (power bank)
• Flashlight or headlamp: With extra batteries. Don't rely on your phone flashlight — it drains the battery.
• Blankets: Extra blankets or a sleeping bag in case heating fails
• Hand/body warmers: HotHands warmers ($1/pair) provide heat for 8-10 hours
• Candles and matches: For light (not heat). Use safely — never leave unattended.

Medications and Essentials

• Prescription medications: Make sure you have enough for 3-5 days
• First aid supplies: Bandages, pain relievers, cold medicine
• Toilet paper and hygiene items: Don't forget these basics

During the Storm

If You Lose Power

Power outages are common during winter storms. Trees fall on power lines, ice accumulates on wires, and substations fail.

What to do:

• Report the outage to your utility company (they have automated phone lines and apps)
• Conserve phone battery: Reduce screen brightness, close unused apps, enable low-power mode
• Stay warm: Wear all your layers indoors. Gather blankets in one room. If you have roommates, gather together — body heat matters.
• Food safety: A closed refrigerator keeps food safe for 4 hours. A full freezer holds temperature for 48 hours.
• Don't use gas stoves, grills, or generators indoors — carbon monoxide is lethal and odorless

If your apartment gets dangerously cold (below 50°F/10°C indoors):

• Go to a warming center (schools, community centers, fire stations — check your city's emergency page)
• Call your landlord — they're required to maintain heat
• In an emergency, call 911

If You Need to Go Outside

• Only if necessary: Don't go out during a blizzard to "see what it looks like"
• Tell someone where you're going and when you'll be back
• Cover all exposed skin: Frostbite can occur in 15-30 minutes at wind chills below 0°F
• Walk slowly: Sidewalks are icy. Use the penguin walk.
• Stay on cleared paths: Walking through deep snow is exhausting and disorienting

What NOT to Do

• Don't drive unless absolutely necessary. Even if you think you can handle it, other drivers may not.
• Don't touch downed power lines. Even if they're on the ground, they may be live.
• Don't use space heaters near flammable materials (curtains, bedding, paper)
• Don't ignore hypothermia symptoms: Shivering, confusion, slurred speech, drowsiness. Get warm immediately. If symptoms are severe, call 911.

Shoveling: Your Responsibility?

In many US cities, residents are legally required to clear snow from the sidewalk in front of their home within a certain timeframe (usually 24 hours after snowfall stops).

• Apartments: Usually the landlord or property management handles this
• Renting a house: Check your lease — it may be YOUR responsibility
• Fines: $25-100+ for failure to clear sidewalks in cities that enforce this

Shoveling Tips

• Shovel early and often: It's easier to shovel 4 inches twice than 8 inches once
• Lift with your legs, not your back. Snow is heavy.
• Throw snow away from the sidewalk and road — don't create a new pile that needs clearing
• Salt or ice melt ($5-10/bag from hardware stores) prevents ice from forming after you shovel

When Campus Reopens

Walking

• Sidewalks may still be icy. Wear boots with traction.
• Paths near buildings often have ice from rooftop snowmelt and dripping
• Watch for falling ice/snow from building rooftops and tree branches

Driving

• Roads may be plowed but still icy, especially in early morning
• Allow extra time for everything — clearing your car, slower driving, finding parking in reduced spaces
• Clear ALL snow from your car (roof, hood, trunk, all windows) — snow flying off a moving car is dangerous and sometimes illegal

Classes

• Check email/app for schedule updates. Some professors cancel independently even when the university is open.
• Remote attendance may be offered if conditions are still bad
• Don't risk your safety to attend a class — email the professor if conditions in your area are worse than on campus

The Silver Lining: Snow Day Culture

Snow days are actually cherished in American culture. Here's how to enjoy them:

• Hot chocolate: Make it from scratch (milk + cocoa powder + sugar + marshmallows) or use a packet ($0.25 each)
• Movies: Americans have strong opinions about the best snow day movies (Home Alone, Frozen, The Day After Tomorrow, Groundhog Day)
• Cooking/baking: Snow days are prime baking days. Cookies, brownies, or banana bread are easy and make your apartment smell amazing.
• Snow activities (after the storm): Build a snowman, have a snowball fight, make snow angels. If you've never played in snow before, this is your chance.
• Board games / video games: Multi-hour gaming sessions with roommates are a snow day tradition
• Studying: Campus is closed, no errands to run, nowhere to be. Some of the most productive study sessions happen on snow days.

Quick Snow Day Checklist

Before the storm (24-48 hours):

• Check weather alerts and university notifications
• Buy 3 days of non-perishable food + water
• Charge phone, laptop, portable charger
• Gather flashlight, batteries, blankets, warm clothing
• Fill prescriptions, get essential medications
• Know your utility company's outage reporting number

During the storm:

• Stay indoors unless absolutely necessary
• If power goes out: conserve battery, stay warm, don't use gas stoves for heat
• Check on neighbors/friends (text is fine)
• Avoid driving

After the storm:

• Check university reopening status before going to campus
• Shovel sidewalk if it's your responsibility
• Wear boots, walk carefully on ice
• Clear all snow from car before driving
• Enjoy the fresh snow — it's actually beautiful

Snow days in the US are part nuisance, part adventure, and part cozy tradition. With the right preparation, they go from scary to enjoyable. Stock up before the storm, stay warm during it, and make hot chocolate after. You'll be telling stories about your first blizzard for years.