Be prepared ahead of time. Keep a shovel, some blankets, and tools in your car all the time if you live in a blizzard prone area. If you are going out and there's a chance of heavy snow, take along some emergency items. Water, some non-perishables to eat -- a few cans of tuna or chicken meat, some bread, fruit, cookies and other similar items.
Make sure every person has really warm clothes, hats and gloves before you go. Extra heavy socks would be a godsend to hands and feet in a snow in. Keep the odd socks in a bag in the car - you won't miss them and they could save your fingers and toes later on.
Put candles and coffee cans in your trunk as well. You'd be amazed at how much warmth a coffee can candle can give off. When you're really cold, this will be a very exciting little number to snuggle up against! Make sure the candles are smaller than the can, though so there's no fire hazard and don't let children have them without you watching very closely.
First you need to know what not to do. DO NOT leave your car to start walking somewhere. There is nothing more disorienting than heavy snow. You will not be able to see if you are even walking in a straight line so stay put! Most people killed in blizzards have left shelter to get help. Don't leave your car. it is the only safe place you have right now.
Get outside the car and feel around to the back end. Find the tailpipe and clear all the snow away from it. This is really important because if it gets plugged up, carbon monoxide will get into the car when you run the heater.
Open your trunk and take everything out that may be of use. If you have tools, a blanket, a shovel, or anything with which to keep warm, take it out. You may need to make an air hole if the entire car gets buried, so even an umbrella or baseball bat or a jack could be handy later on. If you even think it may be helpful, take it out now. It will be harder to get to the longer it snows.
The next most important thing you have to do is to keep everyone as warm as possible. If anyone is wet, dry them off as best you can and then do this. You can use extra clothes, blankets, even car mats to keep warm. If you have paper -- newspaper or magazines -- these can be ripped up and stuffed into your clothing. Remember that its feet and hands and the tips of noses that are most often frostbitten so take extra care with these.
You should only run your car heater about ten minutes every hour. You really need to conserve fuel so be careful to stick to that. The car will never really get warm but it will keep you from really freezing. Realize that you may not be found as soon as the snow stops. Roads may have to be cleared and, if you're buried, you will have to dig or be dug out.
Keep one window opened just a crack for the carbon monoxide to escape. Make sure the window is away from the blowing or drifting snow.
