The weatherman says that there’s a zero to 100 percent chance that some/most of the country will get zero to 20 inches of snow beginning and ending sometime between tomorrow and Monday.

And where I live, people are losing their minds.

Milk, bread and toilet paper are flying off the shelves and weekend plans are already cancelled in anticipation of this weather event. My parents waited in a tremendous line at Walmart Thursday night and had the war weary faces of people who had seen too much in their quest to pick up my hamburger buns and lettuce.

The forecast models aren’t especially helpful either. One meteorologist that serves southern Ohio has three models going and each one shows something drastically different. Winter storms are hard to predict and last year’s gutting of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) didn’t do us any favors in this department.

So, I am preparing as though we will get several inches and be placed under a Level Three Snow Emergency where driving is restricted. I’m also planning for ice and heavy snow that will snap trees and power lines. And I’m prepared to just be happy staying home with a stack of books this weekend.

I was already prepared for that last one. Heh!

Here’s what I’m doing to get ready for Snowpocalypse 2026:

Charging– Yesterday I rounded up all the flashlights and battery backups. I checked batteries and started charging everything so it’s ready to go.

Food Preparation – I plan to boil some eggs and make a small pot of soup and some corn muffins today. I have some things that could easily be made on the grill or eaten cold so I’ll gather up that stuff and keep it front and center. That way I don’t have to dig through the freezer in the dark.

Water – Now that I’m no longer reliant on a well that’s electric powered, I worry less about water. However, a water line break is always a threat so I still have on hand a few containers of water for flushing as well as some bottled water for drinking. If water were still more of an issue, I would have every pot and pan in the house filled with water by now.

Warmth – I do not have an alternate heating source but I do have a tent! I wrote about this before (here’s the link) but it is worth mentioning again. A tent you use for camping outside will keep you warm inside your home if you lose heat. My tent is the perfect size to fit on a queen sized bed and it keeps me nice and cozy. I pulled the tent, sleeping bag and nice Eddie Bauer insulated blanket out of the closet yesterday.

As an aside, If you have small kids and are worried about keeping them warm, consider building them a blanket fort with your kitchen table. I used to do that when I was a kid and it’s loads of fun. Their body heat will help to warm that small space and make it more comfy!

Gathering Other Supplies – I tried to think about what else I might need if the power goes out. Today I will empty a plastic tote for outside food storage in case I want it. The nice thing about a power outage in the snow is that you can pack food stuff in snow in coolers or totes. Store them in the trunk of your car to keep them cold and safe from animals. I also have a bag of ice in each of my freezers. If I don’t open the freezer doors, everything should stay frozen for a long time.

My snow shovel is handy as are my boots and cold weather gear. Today I’ll run outside at lunch time to feed the birds. I’ll repeat that process again tomorrow morning if the snow hasn’t set in yet. That way their little bird bellies will be nice and full until the snow moves through and I can feed again.

Entertainment – I have a puzzle at the ready as well a stack of books to keep me entertained regardless of what the weather does this weekend.

What’s missing? I think I have covered my own priorities but would love to hear about yours!