If you have to sleep outside in the cold, stay dry and put something between you and the ground

Cold air is only part of the danger. The CDC says hypothermia, a body temperature that drops too low, can happen above 40°F (about 4°C) if you are chilled by rain, sweat or cold water. It says low body temperature affects the brain, so a person may not know it is happening, and it lists people who stay outdoors for long periods, including people experiencing homelessness, among those at risk.

If you have to sleep outside in the cold, try first for a bed or a warming centre; if you cannot get one, stay dry, put something between you and the ground, and skip alcohol.

This page is for someone who is outside tonight, or may be, in the US or the UK. It does not tell you what to do about the larger problem: the guide here called I have nowhere to sleep tonight covers who to call and the dates that start the day you have nowhere safe to stay.

Try for indoors first

The National Health Care for the Homeless Council, a US organisation of health centres, has an undated leaflet on severe cold for people who live outdoors. It opens its night advice with: “SLEEP INSIDE AT NIGHT! IF YOU MUST SLEEP OUTDOORS, FOLLOW THESE TIPS.”

In the US, 211 puts you through to a person who looks up local services, including shelters and warming centres. Some people say that shelter beds fill early, and that arriving well before intake time matters; ask the shelter when intake closes. One person says a shelter can put you at risk of theft, so keep what matters on you. One person says some shelters are poor enough that people prefer the cold. That can be a reason to try a different shelter or a warming centre, not a reason to stop asking.

In England, councils can run an emergency cold-weather scheme for people sleeping rough, called a Severe Weather Emergency Protocol. The Mayor of London’s office said in January 2025 that London’s plan starts when the temperature falls to 0°C on any one night. Triggers differ by council, and North Northamptonshire Council says providing shelter in severe weather is not a statutory duty, so ask your own council what it does. StreetLink connects people sleeping rough in England and Wales to local services through its website. This page did not check whether Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland run a similar scheme. Call your council’s homelessness team, or Shelter England (0808 800 4444), Shelter Cymru (08000 495 495), Shelter Scotland (0808 800 4444), Housing Rights in Northern Ireland (028 9024 5640) or the Housing Executive’s Homelessness Line in Northern Ireland (03448 920 908), and say how cold it is. The Shelter and Housing Rights helplines open on weekdays in the daytime; the Housing Executive’s Homelessness Line has an emergency out-of-hours service for people with nowhere safe to stay.

If you must sleep outside

The leaflet gives these tips. Find a place out of the wind. Wear as much clothing as possible, especially around your core, and keep it loose. Put something under your sleeping bag to stop ground moisture seeping in. If the bag is too big, fill the space with extra clothes or newspaper. Keep your face outside the bag, so the moisture from your breath does not get into it. Wear a warm hat and scarf. Avoid drinking a lot of fluid at night, so you are not getting up in the dark. Eat a big dinner if you can and keep a snack for the middle of the night. It says: “Don’t drink alcohol. Alcohol slows down your circulation and can cause you to lose body heat, especially in your hands and feet.” It adds that your risk of hypothermia is higher if you use alcohol, nicotine, street drugs and some medications.

The National Park Service, writing for hikers, says to avoid clothing that absorbs and holds water, “like cotton and jeans”, and, for someone who is already showing symptoms, to make sure there is a barrier between the ground and them. Some people say to avoid cotton socks and underwear for long stretches outdoors, because cotton holds moisture, and to carry a dry spare pair. Some people suggest cardboard between you and concrete. One person adds that newspapers are harder to find than they used to be, so dry leaves can stand in. One person suggests a wool blanket, and one says a towel and spare socks are worth carrying.

A flame is a separate danger in a closed space. The CDC says carbon monoxide is made any time you burn fuel in stoves, lanterns, grills and fireplaces, and that people who are sleeping or drunk can die of it before they have symptoms. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says never to use portable fuel-burning camping equipment inside a vehicle or tent unless it is designed for an enclosed space, and never to burn charcoal in either. The NHS says not to use a barbecue or camping stove inside a tent. The CDC lists headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain and confusion as the most common symptoms, and the CPSC says that if you think you have any of them, get outside to fresh air immediately and get medical attention promptly. The NHS says to call 111 if you think you might have symptoms, and to call 999 or go to A&E if someone has been exposed and finds it hard to breathe, has suddenly become confused, has lost consciousness, feels weak or has chest or muscle pain; in the US, call 911. A car has its own page here, Keep the engine off while you sleep in the car.

Places people warn against

One person warns that standing by a laundromat dryer vent leaves you damp, and cold again when the dryers stop. The CDC’s point, that being chilled by rain or sweat is enough, is why damp matters on its own. One person warns that steam grates feel warm at first, but moisture gets into your clothes and can freeze overnight. One person warns against the snow banks that snowplows leave, which this person says can collapse. This page did not find an official page on vents, grates or snow banks.

One person warns against sleeping in a dumpster because of the machinery that empties it. NBC News reported on 29 May 2025 that a man was killed and another injured in Commack, New York, when the dumpster they were believed to be sleeping in was emptied into a garbage truck.

When it is an emergency

The CDC lists these signs of hypothermia in adults: shivering, exhaustion, confusion, fumbling hands, memory loss, slurred speech and drowsiness. It says that if a person’s temperature is below 95°F (35°C), get medical attention immediately. In the UK, the NHS lists shivering; pale, cold and dry skin, where skin and lips may turn blue or grey (on black or brown skin this may be easier to see on the palms of the hands or the soles of the feet); slurred speech; slow breathing; and tiredness or confusion. It says to go to A&E or call 999 if you think you or someone else has hypothermia, and not to drive yourself.

While waiting for help, the CDC and the NHS both say to get the person into shelter, remove wet clothing, wrap them in dry layers, and not to give alcohol. The NHS adds a blanket, sleeping bag or dry towel with the head covered, a warm non-alcoholic drink and sugary food if they are fully awake, and keeping them awake by talking, and making sure you or someone else stays with them. The two differ on heat. If medical help cannot come right away, the CDC says to warm the centre of the body (chest, neck, head and groin) with an electric blanket if one is available, or by skin-to-skin contact under loose dry layers. The NHS says not to use a hot bath, hot water bottle or heat lamp, and not to rub the arms, legs, feet or hands, and the Health Care for the Homeless leaflet says not to apply direct heat or rub or massage the body. Outside, the steps they share are shelter, dry layers, no rubbing and no alcohol, and the call-taker can say what else to do. The CDC says a person with severe hypothermia may be unconscious and seem to have no pulse or breathing; handle them gently, get emergency help at once and do CPR, even if they appear dead, while you keep warming them.

For frostbite, the CDC (page dated August 2026) says redness or pain may be the first sign, then a white or greyish-yellow skin area, skin that feels unusually firm or waxy, or numbness. It says to seek medical care and to check whether the person also has signs of hypothermia, which is more serious and needs emergency care. If you are staying outside, the Health Care for the Homeless leaflet says that if there is any chance the area will freeze again, do not thaw it, and if it has already thawed, wrap it so it does not freeze again. If immediate care is not available, the CDC says not to walk on frostbitten feet or toes unless you must, not to rub the area with snow or massage it at all, to put it in warm, not hot, water (comfortable to the touch on skin that is not affected), or, without warm water, to warm it with body heat, such as fingers in an armpit, and not to use a heating pad, heat lamp, stove, fireplace or radiator, because numb skin can easily burn. In the UK, the NHS says to call 999 or go to A&E if, after being in very cold temperatures, you have hard, frozen skin, swelling and loss of feeling in the area, blisters filled with blood or a clear or milky fluid, or you are constantly shivering with slurred speech, slow breathing, tiredness and confusion. In the US, call 911 for any of those signs.

In the day

Some people say a library is a place to be warm in the day; there is a page here called The library is shelter you’ve already paid for. Some people say a gym membership gives showers, lockers and a warm place to be; one person says local organisations and libraries offer showers, legal aid, ID replacement, medical and dental care and food. Ask 211 which ones are near you. Some people suggest keeping clean and keeping clothes washed, because they say how you look affects how shops, employers and other people treat you. One person suggests photographing your important papers and emailing the pictures to yourself, in case the originals are lost or stolen.

Who this page is not for

If you can get a bed tonight, that is better than anything here. If you are choosing this to save money, this page cannot make it safe. One person says a cheap room, even with a little more debt, may cost less than the stress of sleeping outside, and another says it can cost you friends. If you are hurt or showing signs of hypothermia, call. If you are under 18, the National Runaway Safeline in the US (1-800-786-2929) is for young people who have left home or feel they have nowhere to go, at any hour, and in the UK Childline (0800 1111) is for anyone under 19, at any hour. This page does not cover snow shelters, children, other countries, whether it is legal to sleep in a public place where you are, or what police can do with your belongings; rules differ by place, so ask Shelter or Housing Rights in the UK, or a legal aid office through LawHelp.org in the US.

If you are cold and cannot get warm, or someone near you is, call 911 in the US or 999 in the UK.