Quick facts
- Carbon monoxide has no color or smell.
- Generators, grills, camp stoves, and engines can produce carbon monoxide.
- A working carbon monoxide alarm is a safety device, not an optional gadget.
Plain-English meaning
Carbon monoxide is a toxic gas produced by incomplete combustion. In everyday terms: if something burns fuel, it may create carbon monoxide.
The problem during storms and freezes is behavior. People bring generators, grills, or fuel-burning devices too close to living spaces because they need heat, power, or cooking. That can turn an outage into a poisoning event.
Why it matters in the first hour
The first hour rule is strict: run generators outdoors only, far from doors, windows, vents, crawl spaces, and garages. Do not use a gas oven or charcoal grill to heat a room.
If several people in one place develop headache, dizziness, nausea, weakness, confusion, or sleepiness during an outage, move outside and call emergency services.
What this page is not
This page is not medical advice. Suspected carbon monoxide exposure is an emergency.
Sources and how they are used
- CDC: Carbon Monoxide Basics Official safety source
- Ready.gov: Winter Weather Official safety source
- Wikipedia: Carbon monoxide Background explainer