EDITED
I know keeping the door closed is critical and I suspect because the unit is filled to the gills that it will stay pretty cool if I leave the door closed – but maybe dropping it down to 50 or so makes some sense?
Thankfully, we are not in the midst of a heat-wave so my basement isn’t HOT at the moment.
Thoughts?
Can’t hurt. If the wine gets a chance to cool down to 50 it will have a few degrees more headroom… I don’t see a downside.
That’s what I was thinking Rick - Might possibly buy me a bit more time if we lose power for more than a few hours.
Yes, just as they recommend setting your refrigerator and freezer to maximum cold in advance of the hurricane. Good news, from a wine perspective, is that highs are forecast in the 70s for the next three days.
Yep, cant hurt. Good luck Kim!
Thanks for the suggestion, I just did the same. I also just filled in empty spots with Pellegrino.
Jay - You’re very welcome. Another tip - I filled some freezer bags with water and froze them - if it gets bad - I’ll place them in the Eurocave or attempt to protect some of my Flannery beef. 
A generator backup is another option. Relatively cheap considering the value your wine probably has.
John - I probably would have grabbed one if the weather was warmer. I’m hopeful that things will be okay. Knock wood - my home rarely loses power - and when it does - its usually only for a few hours. FINGERS CROSSED.
I did this during Ike and my wines stayed cool for about four days. I ended up leaving town and taking the good stuff with me after that…
Dave - 4 days - Good to know. I’m bringing it down to 50 degrees now - if the reports stay as bad as they are - I might drop it down a tad more right before the storm hits. Sounds like Ike really nailed you. I’m hoping Irene will be nice.
Kim… I’d take it as cold as you can… There’s no real downside aside from some wasted energy if your power doesn’t fail.
Will do, Rick. Looks like 41 is as low as it will go.
I’m such an idiot - better hit the small unit in the kitchen too! Duh!
Glad I read this thread - lowered my fridges and freezers and vinotemp to lowest levels. I thought I had thought of everything, but didn’t think of this, thanks folks!
I thought someone else might benefit from this thread. 
Glad to help. Hopefully we are preparing in vain.
Here’s another tip. WHen the storm starts – fill your tub with water - it will give you the ability to flush the toilet if it gets that bad.
A generator is great but your electrical service will have to be modified in order to switch to the generator from the grid.
Only for a full or partial house generator which you tie into the electrical panel, and the generator itself plus the work is a pretty penny. On the other hand if you have a small free standing generator and an extension cord, you can selectively fire up any fridges/appliances as need be. Although this seems obvious, if any of you are using a generator for the first time, please remember it must be kept outdoors when running or you will have a major carbon monoxide issue rather quickly- Every winter when we have a major snow and lose power, it seems someone manages to fire up a generator indoors and then mostly the whole family dies from it.
Also, most likely in the event of major power loss, it is possible to get dry ice from the utility company- they give it out to any who need it typically.
Anyway, getting ready to hit here tomorrow, but I don’t have many concerns outside of power loss potential, but anyone else who is really in the path right on the coast, good luck and be smart.
Don’t forget to grab a few bottles from your cellars before closing the door for the long haul!!
Kim,
I would think the thermal mass of the wine would keep you ok for quite a while. Even with the power out, the wine should be ok even without running it down as long as you don’t open the door too often and the power outage is only a couple of days.
I saw Brad Kane and several other NYers last night. I think they plan on having a huge party. Michel Abood has a ton of Flannery Steak and Chicken. Brad Kane has his cellar ready to go for the storm.
I think it will be ok here. Looks like the winds are going to be in the 70’s. HIgh but not terrible. The only places that might take some water will be the really low areas. Airport is closing at 12 noon to traffic today. Lucky to get out at 9am back to ATL.
During hurricane Ike, the neighborhood I currently live in lost power for two weeks. Luckily, I was living in downtown Houston at the time and was only without power for 3 days and we were fortunate enough to have a cool front follow the storm. My wine fridge at the time never got too warm so I lucked out. We also emptied the fridge and freezers for some block parties where everyone BBQ’ed. Now that I’m further from downtown where we are not as high on the priority list for power, I need to invest in 2 generators…one for a window AC unit to keep us cool, and one for the wine cabinet.