Before we could even blink, we're already nearing the end of September. Fall season has officially arrived and other than football, flannels, pumpkin spice everything, Halloween, and the leaves changing color, we can look forward to the weather starting to cool down.

When I woke up at 5 am, it was about 50 degrees outside and I don't know about you but fall weather is my absolute favorite. I enjoy Iowa fall more than any other season. You can enjoy spending time outside without going into an instant sweat, you can turn your air conditioner off and open your windows.

With the arrival of fall, winter is getting ready to knock right on our front door. Temperatures will drop, snow will be on the way, and before we know it, Christmas will be gone and it will be -5 degrees outside. One of the realities of living in Iowa is dealing with potentially dangerous cold weather. Thousands of people across the state of Iowa delay or cancel plans/road trips due to cold weather or too much snow every year.

Potential Life-Saving Tip

I found this post on Facebook yesterday and thought even if it helps only 1 person for the rest of my life, it would be worth sharing. I've never thought of something like this and maybe you haven't either. Hopefully, this is a situation you never find yourself in but with cold weather just around the corner, I wanted to share this with you because it could help save your life. You could use this tip any time of the year but with cold weather on the way, it felt important to share.

If you end up stranded somewhere while driving in a remote part of Iowa or any remote part of the country, change your voicemail message to where you are, where you're going, your approximate location, and what your situation is.

Get our free mobile app

If your car breaks down but your phone has a great signal and a full battery, this probably isn't necessary but if you're like me and your phone is perpetually low on battery, this could be a way to let people know where you are and what has happened, in case your phone dies.

You can obviously send a mass text, call 911, or call a friend for help/assistance first but if you are somewhere where you don't have cell service or you're battery is running low, don't forget to quickly change your voicemail as another possible way to get help. If you're truly in an emergency situation, you should be using every possible option you can to try and let people know where you are and/or where you are going.

There's nothing worse than being stranded somewhere when it's cold, getting dark, and feeling like you can't find help. The good news is, in 2024, you're probably never going to have to use this information. Most likely, you'll have cell service and can make a phone call or someone will be able to look up your location and help you.

If you do find yourself in a situation where your phone is low on battery or you don't have cell service, change your voicemail and explain the situation. You might even put your phone in a jacket pocket to keep it warm and then not hear it or feel it vibrate if someone is trying to contact you while you're walking somewhere. Even if your phone dies or won't receive phone calls, anyone who calls will know exactly what has happened.