Storm Warning!

The snow reports I'm getting from my friends on Livejournal tell me that it's winter out there, that we have some light, drifting snow on top of heavy-packed snow that will quickly become icy, and that it's very very cold.

Fantastic! That means I don't have to worry so much about zombies.

See, I think I've said this before, but I can't find where, so I just wanted to reiterate: Winter cold is zombie bane. Now, they'll still be dangerous if you get too close, but if you're getting that close to a walking corpse it's your own damn fault that you're getting bitten by a half-frozen, barely moving, freezer-burned zombie.

Ice is a zombie killer, especially when mixed with the slowing effects of the cold. You'll want to fortify your building (you DO have a building that you're holed up in, right?) by melting down snow and getting a nice thick sheet of ice around key points (doors, walkways in, etc) outside of your fortification. Chances are that any zombies that do make it that far in will not have traction on the bottoms of their feet, will not have the control of their limbs necessary to keep themselves upright, and will be fodder for headshots, flailing around on the ground while you are safely perched somewhere nearby with your weapon of choice. I don't suggest going at these flailing monsters with a hand-held weapon, as their flailing can be unpredictable and could catch you unaware.

Places like Alaska, Northern Canada, and Siberia should be pretty safe most of the year. When it gets above freezing for the two or three days a year that this happens in those areas they might have a problem, but by then the zombies should have already been cleared out by the survivors. Also, in the very beginning the people in these areas will probably have just as much trouble as everyone else because the bodies are still being assimilated by the virus that causes zombism, but the survival rate is likely to be higher because this cold onset will come faster.

So listen, spend the warm months preparing for the cold months, but even when you're shivering because all you could find were a few blankets, and not enough wood to build a fire every day (you should have gotten more wood - you NEED heat), at least you'll know your biggest foe is the cold, and that it's actually helping you against your other foe, the Horde.

Now that you know that, though, make sure you've found a way to keep yourself warm if power and gas go out. Fires are good, in the proper environment, but not in a wooden house or a completely enclosed (airtight) area. Blankets, heavy clothing, dressing in layers, these are vitally important for those nights that are cold, but not yet freezing. The last thing you want is to draw the zombies down on you with a fire, without the benefit of their slowed reflexes and frozen joints to help you combat them. Light that fire on a 40 degree night, and when you look outside in the morning you may realize you've just killed everyone you're with.

So listen, stay warm, stay protected, and keep an eye out. Prepare for the worst, and you'll probably survive.

EDIT: For good ideas on keeping warm in inclement weather, zombies or no zombies, see akdidge's comment to this entry! It could save your life some day, especially when the zombie apocalypse comes.