Houston residents woke up to a foggy, dreary day on Friday and many opted to head to the grocery store to pick up “panic items” ahead of a pending arctic freeze now deemed Winter Storm Fern.
Parents of children at many area schools can look forward to spending Monday with their kids as many of the districts canceled classes that day because of the expected hazardous driving conditions.
Shoppers were out of luck in the bottled water aisle at H-E-B on San Felipe, where a few lonely bottles of sports drinks rested next to a wall of empty shelves. Firewood and toilet paper were among the popular items that shoppers loaded into their baskets.
Over at the H-E-B at Highway 6 and Dulles in Sugar Land, toilet paper supplies were holding their own, but milk, bread, water and eggs were disappearing or gone, and in the case of the eggs, many were smashed or their remains lying in a puddle.
Similarly, parking lots were filled at area Krogers and Walmarts as customers hustled to lay in their supplies.
Heavy rain is expected all day Saturday with freezing temperatures, ice and “life-threatening wind chills” early Sunday through Tuesday morning. CenterPoint Energy officials say they are ready to swiftly respond to power outages, and road crews are already putting ice-melting chemicals on the streets.
A 24-hour warming shelter will open at 10 a.m. Saturday at Bayland Community Center, 6400 Bissonet. Twelve other warming centers staggered throughout Houston are slated to open at 5 p.m. Saturday. Food, water and blankets will be provided. Residents are encouraged to call ahead if they are bringing pets. A ride to a shelter can be arranged by calling 311.
Fort Bend County is also offering warming centers at all of its branch libraries and the Fort Bend Family YMCA.
Cancellations and Preparations
Houston ISD and other area school districts including Katy, Spring Branch, Conroe, Cypress-Fairbanks, Fort Bend, Aldine, Tomball and Pearland, canceled classes on Monday. Parents are encouraged to monitor their district’s social media for updates.
Houston airports reported only minor delays on Friday but advised that some airlines are offering waivers to travelers who need to change plans. Those planning a flight in the next few days should check flight statuses with the carrier before heading to the airport because cancellations and delays are likely to increase as the weather intensifies.
Harris County civil and criminal courts will be closed Monday, and the Houston Zoo will be closed Saturday through Monday.
Event cancellations include Houston Chamber Choir’s Saturday “Hear the Future” concert and the Ensemble Theater’s Sunday performance. Houston ISD moved its Saturday sporting events to Friday. Fort Bend County’s budget town hall meeting planned for Saturday has been postponed to 6 p.m. January 28, at the Mission Bend Branch Library.
Gov. Greg Abbott urged Texans to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary, as did Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Houston Mayor John Whitmire.
Perhaps in an effort to improve upon the mistakes of Winter Storm Uri — when more than 240 Texans died, freezing temperatures lasted for a week and Harris County residents lost power for days — elected officials and CenterPoint Energy representatives emphasized preparedness.
“The severity of it is not quite as great, and the size of it is not quite as great as winter storm Uri,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a press conference Thursday, after issuing a disaster declaration for 134 Texas counties, including Harris. “That said, people would be making a mistake if they don’t take it seriously.”
Volunteers organized a drive to collect and distribute winter coats, blankets and socks to the homeless. Press conferences were held and informational flyers were posted on social media as early as Wednesday.
Several elected officials reminded residents to protect the “four Ps”: people, pets, plants and pipes.
In a Friday morning call with reporters, Fort Bend County Commissioner Dexter McCoy encouraged residents to sign up for updates via text message and email and make sure they have batteries, candles, Styrofoam pipe coverings and other necessities on hand.
“Folks need to prepare for the worst and we’re going to pray for the absolute best,” he said. “We want to make sure they’re getting supplies today before tomorrow comes and there may not be items left.”
McCoy said he couldn’t speak for CenterPoint and its ability to quickly restore power if needed, but again encouraged residents to sign up for the utility company’s online tracker and text message alerts.
“We will continue to make sure to hold CenterPoint accountable,” he said. “We have a CenterPoint rep that will be in our Emergency Operations Center to respond to needs where there are major outages in our community.”
This article appears in Private: Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2026.