BISMARCK, N.D. (KXNET) — Nobody wants to feel cold and wet once the snow arrives, but KX News has some tips to keep you warm and toasty this winter.

While you might not have been prepared for this much snow this early in the year, there are still a few things that you can do to keep yourself ahead of the weather. We spoke with some local experts to see what they recommend to keep you and your home safe and warm this winter.

Mason Mikkelsen with Northern Plains Heating and Air says that when the temp drops suddenly and you start turning up the heat, you need to make sure your home is prepared for the change.

“The easiest thing a homeowner can do is to change their air filter,” said Mikkelsen.

This may be the first time you’ve touched the heat in months, and air filters should be changed four times a year — especially on weeks like this where the temps drop below freezing.

Experts say you should also think about the outside of your house as well. Keep the snow away from the siding, and if you have gutters that hang down, make sure to take them down before you forget about them.

“Keep their venting terminations where your chimneys go outside clear, and keep your gas meter clear,” said Mikkelsen. “Those are the biggest things in extreme weather that a homeowner can do to make sure their system is going to run the best that it can.”

Also, don’t forget about clearing the snow off your roof.

“The ice jams were probably the biggest deal from last year, just because there was so much snowfall,” said Leingang Home Center’s Mike Weigel. “It melts during the day and freezes at night, then you have heavy snow, so it keeps building up, building up, backwards, backwards, backwards, so that was a big issue last year.”

Weigel says if the snow starts piling up on your roof, there are tools you can pick up to tackle the job.

“You can actually buy rakes to clean the roofs off from the ground.”

If you’re a first-timer, there are all kinds of places you can find good advice.

“YouTube can be a good resource, but be careful what you find, I mean, you don’t want to dive in further than your capabilities will allow,” said Mikkelsen. “If you have a friend that’s handy and is able to help out, that’s great too, but obviously, calling a reputable heating and cooling company to check it out for you is obviously the best answer, there’s professionals in this field for a reason.”

Experts say it’s also important to keep up with pipe and sewer maintenance with the weather changes, as well.