Insurance company shares tips on how to prep your home for winter

Winter is just two weeks away, and it's time to make sure your home is prepared for it.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT)– It will officially be winter in a couple of weeks, and your home might need a little extra care to get ready for the colder weather.

This time of year can bring wind and hail damage, and even a pipe burst. American Family Insurance agent, Steven Stancil, says preparation is key to making sure your home is prepared for winter.

“The biggest recommendation is for people to go around and do a good walk around the exterior of their house and make sure everything is checked and sealed,” Stancil explained.

American Family Insurance recommends leaving your faucets dripping when temperatures reach 32° or less overnight, because it can cause you pipes to freeze and even burst. Stancil says you should monitor heat sources in your home too.

“The best thing is make sure there’s nothing too close to any kind of heater,” he explained. “If you’ve got a fireplace or just an infrared heater someplace, make sure it’s five to six feet away from anything and give some good space there. If you’re going to do a fire, especially for those who haven’t burned a fire in a while, make sure to check your chimney or your flu to make sure it’s good and clean before you light any regular fires in there.”

41NBC Daybreak Meteorologist, Aaron Lowery, explained what we can expect during the winter around Middle Georgia.

“All across the southeast this year and in most of the country we’re going into a La Niña pattern which is what we had in 2020,” Lowery explained. “Typically what that means is that you get some very mild and dry winters. Think about how we’ve been so far this December before this week, we’ve been seeing very warm conditions.”

Lowery is not anticipating any snow in the near future, but he does warn that you should watch the forecast for freezing temperatures before driving.

“We’ve had several mornings here already where we’ve gotten down into the upper 20s… Check your local forecast for the lows and when it does come time for the snow, hopefully we don’t have to drive in it,” Aaron said.

This week is Winter Weather Preparedness Week in Georgia, and state officials encourage everyone to make sure their homes are ready for freezing temperatures.