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Brrr! Cold Snap Warning: What Not to Leave in Your Car
As a significant cold snap barrels toward the nation next week, bringing with it the potential for snowfall, motorists are being advised to clear certain items from their vehicles. While the official start of winter is still a month away, regions like the Northeast, including New York and New Jersey, have already experienced early snow and should brace for more.
Temperatures are expected to steadily drop into the early part of the week, with many communities seeing daytime highs dip into the 30s and 40s. This intensified cold air could damage or even destroy specific items if left in chilly cars. To help you prepare, here are six things you should remove from your vehicle before the temperatures plummet:
- Glasses: Extreme cold can be a real pain for your spectacles. Lenses can expand and contract, potentially causing damage, and frames become more susceptible to snapping. Keeping them in a protective case can offer some defense.
- Musical Instruments: For those with a passion for music, beware! Wooden instruments like violins, guitars, and cellos are vulnerable to the cold. The shrinking and expanding of wood can damage or break glue joints, rendering your beloved instrument unplayable.
- Medication: While hard pills and capsules are generally resilient, liquid and injectable medications can be altered by low temperatures. Always store your medication at room temperature to ensure its potency remains intact.
- Electronic Devices: Your precious laptops and other gadgets are no match for the cold. Their internal lithium-ion batteries can be compromised by freezing temperatures. Plus, for security reasons, it’s always best to take expensive electronics with you.
- Carbonated Beverages: This one’s a classic winter woe! The water in fizzy drinks expands as it freezes, putting immense pressure on the CO2 inside and leading to a messy (and sometimes explosive) situation.
- Paint: Home improvement projects might have to wait. The ingredients in paint can be severely affected by the cold, leading to freezing, expansion, separation, and clumping, which can render it completely unusable.
Stay warm, stay safe, and remember to clear out your car before the chill sets in!