The southern states in the US are expecting to get hit with severe winter weather this weekend (temperatures below freezing, ice, and snow). The type that we do not experience on the regular. Speaking as a southerner, many of us are not good at coping with this type of thing. I want to emphasize something: this is not our faults. The infrastructure in southern states were not built to be suitable for this type of weather. The supplies we have available to us to deal with snow and ice aren't nearly as vast as northern states because this type of weather is not normal for us.

That being said, it would be wise to prepare in every way possible while there is still time. Even if it doesn't turn out as bad as predicted, better to be safe than sorry. Here is a checklist of things to consider:

If you have livestock of any kind, please give them fresh bedding that insulates well while you still can. Consider what you may need to do to keep them warm, such as bringing them inside.

As an Iowan who regularly travels to Wisconsin in winter wearing skirts and dresses, I would like to add a guide to cold weather clothing layering.

Layering has three main components:

This is the key to survival. When you get it all on, it might feel a little bulky and silly but its worth it.

1. Close to Body Moisture Layer

The point of this layer is twofold. It absorbs sweat your body produces (which will get cold on your skin otherwise) and holds in your already existing body heat.

Youre gonna want something like thick leggings and a longsleeve shirt usually. As tight to the skin as you can get. Underarmor makes a lot of things like this specifically for this purpose and are labeled as being rated for certain temps.

If you dont have that, use the closest fitting shirt/pants you have, even if its a tank top. Keeping your core warm is the most important thing.

Also consider wearing more than one.

2. Insulating Fluff Layer

You know how insulation foam works? The air pockets trap the air from escaping by not giving it a clear path out/in.

This is your bigger, bulky layer. The goal is to create air pockets that trap your heat in and keep cold out. So, baggy shirts (ideally more than one), sweaters, thick pants and/or layered skirts.

Denim, while durable, is not ideal for this layer on its own. Its absolute garbage for insulation. You are going to want to wear some sort of fuzzy pajama pants or something under them.

Thick knits in natural fibers like wool or alpaca are ideal, but prioritize thickness over material.

3. Protective Outer Layer

This is your coat and your outerwear accessories.

Ideally, having a heavy, natural fiber coat is ideal. I have a long wool coat that I keep repairing because its lasted me over a decade and wool keeps you warm even when its wet.

But if you dont have that, try for something with moisture resistance, like a puffer coat. Leather is okay, but you will want more insulating layers if you go that route. (Also you probably need to do maintaining on your leathers, but thats another rant for another day).

This is where denim would go, on the outside to protect from the elements.

You are also going to want at least one scarf, but probably two. One for close to the body for heat retention and a bulkier one for protection. I tend to use a vintage fur stole for the outer layer, but its not the best option if its going to keep getting wet. If your scarf is big enough it can also cover your ears.

Which also! Cover your ears! They have like no fat! Hats, headbands, earmuffs, balaclava, little babushka scarf, etc. I am usually using my headphones for this plus my coat hood if its bad enough. Face masks are also helpful for this.

Gloves are also vital. This is going to sound a little broken record, but ideally you should have two pairs on. One pair of fuzzy ones for inside (ideally wool) and one pair of moisture resistant for the outside (especially if you are going to touch snow)

Socks are similar, at least two pairs. One for moisture wicking (your feet sweat more than you think) and one for insulation. Maybe one more pair for safe measure.

Shoes should ideally be something leather or weather resistant, have good treads, maybe some ankle support. Avoid untreated cloth/canvas as much as you can.

Assorted Tips

Hopefully someone finds this helpful. Im about to practice what I preach and head out. Stay warm y'all. ❤️‍🔥

companies make billions from you thinking you're ugly btw. only ugly thing is their bottom line. log out of tiktok right now.

learning to ask 'is this an ad' will save your life

"guys i just got this new" it’s an ad

"let me show you what i just bought from" it’s an ad

"how am i just now discovering" it’s an ad

This may sound preachy, but if you’re in your teens or 20s please take care to develop the habit of speaking positively about people behind their backs. Gossip is unavoidable, and yes it does allow people to bond, and yes some people deserve to be shit talked. But I think being negative about things is literally just nature, whereas trying to be positive about things and people is a quality you have to be very intentional about . If this does not apply to you, good for you. But for most people I think it does. Im not lauding toxic positivity so much as saying that if there’s space to speak positively about someone behind their back, it’s better to take that route.

Friendly reminder that you should

The only thing that matters is you having fun! Not what others think!

man having your life even a little bit together will really make you realize how chronically sleep-deprived and poorly fed and under-enriched everyone is and then when they turn to you to implicitly agree that that's just the natural state of existing you feel like the asshole for being like "actually I think you might benefit from eating breakfast regularly and picking up a new hobby"

Official ominous sign

I know everybody out there is always saying don't kill yourself but I think everybody else should also not weigh themselves either. Never ever ever ever ever ever ever weigh yourself.

everyone simply must stop saying Grooming when they mean Indoctrination

grooming is a specific cluster of behaviors exclusively meant to sow the seeds for a romantic/sexual relationship with a child/teen over time. (some people also use it to refer to adults with severely uneven power dynamics, but the strictest definition is the previous one). the perpetrator is usually someone already close to the victim, most often a relative or trusted family friend.

indoctrination means intentionally instilling a partisan/dogmatic ideology into someone--often at a young age since children tend to be more impressionable, but there isn't really an age limit on it.

and the two can go hand-in-hand, like, you could be indoctrinated into an ideology that provides more potential for grooming to happen (whether by discouraging speaking out about the issue, or creating a strict hierarchy where certain people can't be questioned), but they're different things okay

gameshow voice: is it gay subtext or are the writers just so catastrophically bad at writing female characters that the only relationships in the entire story that feel human are the ones between the men.

it is hilarious to me that cishet men have yet to notice the ‘best friend cockblocking her friend you’re chatting up in a public place’ thing is planned, consensual on the part of the girl you’re uncomfortably hitting on and not a result of the bestie being jealous her friend is getting more male attention. they’re completely oblivious to the hostage eyes and silent nod to someone in the background because they’re too busy telling that poor girl about what a bitch their ex was.

Apparently ICE now has agents posing as utility workers to get into people's homes. The electric and gas companies have posted information on how to tell if it's one of their workers, and numbers to call to confirm whether they've sent someone to do utility work on your house.

Stay safe, friends.

Some people have shared stories of suspicious “sales representatives” knocking on homes, asking about the home owners and who lives there, fishing for phone numbers, but do not provide business cards, company id, company phone numbers, etc when asked.

They come in pairs, never one person though one may hag back a bit. They have been seen using cars with significantly tinted windows, no business logos anywhere on the vehicle, or parking close to the home they walked up to only to drive away right after without visiting other homes, almost as if they’re not real sales people.

True door to door salespeople need a sort of peddler’s license, subject to city and county law, to solicit at your door. You can ask to see this permit. If they don’t provide one or make an excuse, they are likely bogus.

They wear a jacket with a company logo but likely don’t wear name tags and the Don’t provide id.

Tell them you’ll call the company about a noncompliant representative. Make them leave. Better yet not to open the door to them, and tell them nothing.

Actual sales reps also generally do follow “no soliciting” signs. Be aware, be safe, don’t give out your information or that of others under duplicitous means.

It is crazy to me how many cis dudes are like “My S/O got pregnant and got an abortion without my input/permission and this is a worse portrayal than being cheated on and I am absolutely justified in treating her like garbage after I impregnated her without her permission.” especially when the S/O is just a casual girlfriend and/or has bluntly told him they don’t want kids. I am of the firm belief you do not get to decide what someone does with your sperm after you deposit it in their body, you cannot force them to keep a pregnancy or to abort a pregnancy and having the intent to do so makes you a fucking supervillain. You can inform them you’ll be there financially and would like to coparent if they’re open to it OR you can tell them you have no intention of being a father and will not be in the child’s life but you do not get to control the decision.

The fact your girl did not tell you she was pregnant and had an abortion means she thought you were both clear on not wanting a kid at this time OR she knew you would be a massive fucking asshole about the whole thing. These guys treat it like a personal insult and a wound that someone they’ve been casually fucking for 4 months does not want to go through 9 months of pregnancy and have their baby.

Remember when console OS stuff was trying to invoke strange and wondrous technological voids? I miss that.

Fun UI design has fallen so far to the wayside these days and it bums me the fuck out

as a woman in the ozempics era you HAVE to have friends who eat normally (3-4 meals a day, no girl dinner bullshit) and who are always down to going to cafes and eating burguers and fries and stuff, I cannot stress how vital for your mental health it is to have friends with whom you feel free to say you're hungry at any time and with whom you feel free to eat as much as you want

If you see the quote "I refuse to share my body with a man who wouldn't defend it politically" or any variation of it floating around the internet — it was Kat Blaque who originally said it and she would really appreciate it if people gave her proper credit for it but it's gone viral on a lot of different platforms and most of the people sharing it don't know it's from her or choose not to credit her on purpose.

Like I just know terfs are going to be parroting it pretending it wasn't said by a black trans woman about herself & her life.