It has been a challenging winter in the north - a far cry from the mild winter we experienced in 2024.
Jim Mandeville, senior vice president of First Onsite says people and businesses should look out for potential property perils caused by winter storms.
Mandeville, who has been working in the industry for more than 20 years, says the three major contributors to winter weather property damage are water damage, ice damage, and power outages.
"We need to be prepared no matter what the winter is going to be like," he told BayToday.
"What we are seeing across Ontario is really the most severe we have seen in decades. It has not been like this in a long time so it is really reinforcing the little things we should be doing."
One of the things northern residents need to look at is what occurs when we have variations in temperatures.
"When it gets very cold, then it gets warm and then it gets cold again; anything like that where it goes up and down, that is where it really starts to cause problems for our homes and our businesses," he said.
"If it stays really cold, if it stays -20 and you have three or four feet of snow on the roof it is really not an issue because the weight of that snow per cubic metre is very low; it's nothing, it is very powdery.
"But if all of a sudden the temperature spikes up and gets to freezing or just above freezing that snow load can become dramatic and you may have a structural problem on that roof. Even if it is not your home; it could be your shed or gazebo."
He says newer homes can be a challenge when dealing with major storms and cold snaps.
"When we have that and it has not happened in a long time, or if you are in a newer home bad things can happen," he said.
"We can have frozen pipes, we can have problems with drainage and it is really because that building has never been that cold before, or because maybe a renovation has been done or maybe some insulation has been changed.
"If you are noticing your tap is running slow or not running at all, you likely have a frozen pipe and you want to get the water shut off as soon as you can and get in touch with a plumber. So between snow load and frozen pipes, those are usually the two biggest dangers we are looking for in February."
Here are some things to consider:
- Monitor the temperature of your house to avoid frozen pipes
- Remove large icicles forming on the eaves and roofline to prevent ice damming
- Have a generator for heat and emergency power in case of winter power outages
- Routinely check property during cold spells
- Know who to call in a winter weather emergency