Winters in Southeast Texas are usually fairly mild, but sometimes blasts of cold air can bring freezing or near-freezing temperatures that drivers are often not fully prepared for. 

You can better prepare yourself by assembling a winter emergency kit for your vehicle and by making sure your vehicle’s maintenance is up to date. Whether it’s making sure your tires are properly inflated or knowing how to use your defroster, taking time to know what shape your vehicle is in, inside and out, also could make a difference when traveling in colder weather.

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Here are some emergency items the experts at AAA Texas recommend drivers keep on hand during freezing weather:

• Warm gloves, clothes, hats and blankets for all passengers in your car
• Car charger for mobile phone
• A flashlight with extra batteries
• Drinking water and snacks
• First-aid kit (unexpired)
• Jumper cables and warning devices, such as flares, reflective triangles or LED beacons

On the flip side, online auto seller Cars.com recommends you clear your car of these items if it’s going to be freezing:

• Smartphones: Some manufacturers recommend against storing devices in subfreezing temperatures, which can shorten battery life.
• Cans of soda or beer: In freezing temperatures, the liquid inside aluminum cans can solidify and expand, causing the can to explode under the pressure.
• Medications: Extreme cold can cause some medications to lose their effectiveness.
• Musical instruments: Cold weather can warp the wood in instruments, knocking them out of tune or cracking them as the wood contracts.

TIME TO PREPARE: Why do pipes burst and how do I prevent them from freezing ahead of Texas’ cold weather?

One of the most common scenarios drivers come across during the colder temperatures is starting their car in the morning and finding out their tire pressure light is on.

Temperature variations and cold is going to affect your car’s tire pressure. That’s because the air molecules bouncing inside your tires slow down with the lack of heat. The air molecules, now with much less energy, take up less space inside the tire and produce lower air pressure.

Most of the vehicles on the road today have tire pressure sensors that will trigger a light to alert you when tire pressures are low. Many gas stations have air pumps you can use to refill the tire yourself, but you can also take the car to an auto repair shop if you want to make sure there is nothing else wrong with your tire.

Keep in mind that some cars have tires filled with nitrogen instead of common air. Cars with tires filled with nitrogen likely have green valve caps or have an “N2” marking on the cap. The selling point for nitrogen tires is that they are supposed to lose less pressure over time, but tests by Consumer Reports found that nitrogen still escapes the tire over time, and it’s still important to regularly check your tire pressure. The tire pressure for nitrogen tires are also still subject to temperature change, according to Discount Tire’s website.

Before temperatures get below freezing during the winter months (if it ever does this year), it’s important to check the treads on your tires and get them rotated and aligned to reduce the risk of hydroplaning or skidding on ice.

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Living in the Gulf Coast region, you may not be used to using your defroster, or even know how to use it. 

A defroster is used to clear condensation from your windows and melt frost, ice and snow. It works through your car’s air conditioning system to remove moisture from the air and therefore on your windows.

“If you have problems with your AC, your defroster is not going to work as effectively,” Robert Sexton from Clear Lake Auto Service said. “Obviously blowing warm air on it will clear it better than nothing but the AC compressor will remove moisture from the air much better and keeps it that way.”

Most cars have different modes on their defroster, such as setting it to “full defrost” which makes the car blow air through the dash vents under the front window; there’s “bi-level” defrost that blows air on the window and on your feet; and there’s also the rear defroster that activates a grid of wires on the inside of the glass that defogs and melts the ice. 

“In our area we don’t have to worry as much about ice on our windows, we may get it occasionally, but the defroster will remove the ice eventually but it will take it a long time. If you have ice on the outside of your window, don’t count on (the defroster) to get it off, you should scrape it off.

WEATHER LINGO: What is a ‘hard freeze’ in Texas, and how is it different from a regular freeze or frost?

• Make sure your cooling system has all its fluids and is operating correctly: If your car’s thermostat has a leak or is stuck open, your car won’t be able to reach its proper operating temperature. Most of the time if the engine isn’t reaching it’s proper temperature the check engine light should come on.
• Gets your car’s belts and hoses inspected: If a hose ruptures on a cold and rainy day, it could make life worse as you’re sitting on the side of the road. While you’re getting an oil change or your car serviced, make sure they are doing a complimentary inspection of all of your car’s fluids, belts and hoses to make sure you have no other problems. 
• Check your car’s cabin air filter: Like the air filter in your home, your car’s cabin air filter cleans the circulating air, but it also protects your car’s evaporator core from dirt. If the evaporator core gets restricted, it will affect the flow of air through the car’s vents, and the performance of the heater and defroster.
• Update your car’s windshield wipers and fluid: Older windshield wipers can deteriorate or break in freezing weather and won’t be effective against ice or snow.  
• Make sure your car lights are working: During the winter season, fog and rain will impair a driver’s vision. If any of your lights are not working effectively or efficiently, it will not only reduce your visibility but it also will make you less visible to others on the road.