But winter weather means more than just shoveling snow, bursting frozen pipes and sidewalks transformed into icy liabilities.

FORBES: Snow Problem: Why I Bought a House in My Early 20s

The Scottish Premier League said a combination of frozen pipes in three of the four stands at Rugby Park and concerns about the pitch due to a fault in the protection system caused by the severe weather prompted the call off.

BBC: Football in snow

As well as making sure that you take precautions to try to avoid frozen or burst pipes it also makes sense to make sure that your insurance policy covers burst and frozen pipes, and any subsequent damage to your property, while it is empty.

BBC: Fergus Muirhead