Some Houston residents had a rude awakening Wednesday morning as with subfreezing temperatures moving out of the area, frozen pipes began thawing, leading to leaks inside and outside of their homes.

Kris Stewart, franchise owner and president of Bluefrog Plumbing + Drain of West Houston said his company has already seen an uptick in service calls due to the hard freeze conditions over the past couple of days.

Particularly on Tuesday afternoon, when most of the area saw a slight break from the extreme cold as temperatures climbed to 32 or 33 degrees.

“We saw an increase in calls yesterday (Tuesday), I think because we had the sun coming out in some areas,” Stewart said. “Similar to last year, we’ve seen mostly outdoor plumbing leaks related to water lines and hose connections.”

“We’re supposed to break the freezing barrier around 10 or 11 this morning, so we expect to see more calls in the afternoon,” he added.

Stewart said most residents first notice something is wrong when they either don’t have water at all or don't have it in isolated areas of their homes. This usually indicates that the water is frozen in the pipe.

Stewart and his crew then have to wait until the warmer weather comes to see if a leak will start and a repair is needed. Sometimes, homeowners get lucky, and there is no issue when the pipe thaws out.

According to Erin Jones, public information officer at Houston Public Works, the department also expects to receive calls regarding pipe bursts and flooding caused by these breaks when the city begins to warm up.

“We are still in freezing temperatures, so that (residents calling) is most likely going to take place either this afternoon or Thursday,” Jones said.

As of Wednesday morning, Houston Public Works has handled 171 water main breaks and made 100 repairs. The department reported an increase in the amount of water pulled from the system Tuesday afternoon, indicating that homeowners were likely starting to experience these leaks.

Jones added that most of the people calling in were seeking assistance to turn off  their water and that other residents may opt to call their plumbers for help, too.

Wednesday night’s lows are not expected to reach near the subfreezing temperatures most of the region saw Tuesday night. Instead, residents can expect lows to dip and stay around 40 degrees, as reported by Space City Weather.

There is a chance for a light freeze to occur in Houston and the potential for a hard freeze further inland overnight on Friday. However, it is not likely to be anywhere near as cold as it was at the beginning of this week.

Stewart recommended homeowners follow the common tips to keep from experiencing water main breaks. These include opening up cabinets that house exposed pipes, insulating outdoor pipes, keeping water moving within systems and turning off the water entirely if needed.

“The issue really becomes when water freezes under pressure,” he said. “Yeah, the home will be without water, but it is good freeze protection to be able to turn the water off and drain it from the water lines.”

This story will be updated as needed.