I think we may add a propane stove to get by this winter and then next convert to a pellet and have a propane as backup

By "Catastrophic"are you referring to temperatures or snowfall amount ? Irregardless we are making our usual preparations ie;oil tank is full ,plenty of propane ,have the truck almost winterized ,stocking our pantry .There are a few last minute details ,but then isn't that always the case .When winter does hit I'll still have things to do ...lol.

We are supposed to have a visit from hurricane kyle tomorrow night ,the stores around here are swamped with last minute shoppers .My wife and I feel good about our preparations ....we shall see .
This is my first post here and I am looking forward to learning lots ....thanks .

Mark

"Catastrophic" is the term that the Farmer's Almanac used. Other sources state that an inordinate amount of snowfall is expected.

Hey, Mark, welcome to the fray.

Hope Kyle doesn't hit you guys too hard.

Frankly, I hope we have a good amount of snow this year. Our area is in drought, with nearly 60% less precipitation than normal. I'm trucking water to soak down our trees so they don't winter kill. Deep snow cover will help insulate now, and water in spring.

Standard preparations are underway. Nothing special, though.

Cars are winterized, except for winter tires. These are mounted on rims, and I'll install them when the snow actually comes. I learned the hard way to use a torque wrench when swapping rims on Japanese cars.

I scored several trailer loads of free firewood from a sawmill. About three cords so far, and two more for the taking. That bumps my supply up to two years' normal consumption.

Wood stove needs to be serviced. Clean the chimney and put in a new brick liner and new door gasket. Related project: build a 12VDC fan setup to move warm air downstairs if the power goes off in a bad blizzard. Don't want frozen pipes.

Snow blower needs servicing and shear pins. The usual paths need to be free of debris.

The house is getting some new windows and more insulation in the attic. Ongoing project.

And this year, I need to remember to get the sump pump in place *before* the big spring thaw. You'd think I would know better by now.

The main issue with heavy amount of snowfall is deadly roof collapse. Unfortunately there's not much I can do in terms of preparedness. Draining the plumbing (To drain the plumbing, cut off the water supply and open the highest and the lowest faucets in the building. Gravity will drain most of the system.), shut off water to outside faucets, inspect the roof and its supports routinely, be alert and take cracking noises seriously, watch out if interior doors begin to stick, etc.

Frankie

Geez I feel like a slacker. My car has chains, and the usual food and blankets.

My house is a rental - I went through maybe 15lbs of salt last year. No wood furnace, gas only. My electric heater is safe in the basement for now.

Uh.... my car needs new breaks. And some new front tires eventually. Neither of which are getting fixed anytime soon. So, I guess I'm equipped to slide (on the ice, get it? It's a weather joke)