Houston meteorologists agree that bone-chilling temperatures will return Saturday and Sunday, but due to a lack of precipitation in the forecast, the dangerous roadways and threat of mass power outages that existed last weekend aren’t expected to make a repeat performance.
Harris County residents know the drill: Cover the plants, wrap the pipes, bring in the pets and check on neighbors, especially the elderly, when temperatures dip below freezing.
The forecast calls for highs in the low 50s on Friday with a light freeze possible Friday night, leading to bitter cold through the weekend.
Space City Weather meteorologist Eric Berger said the skies will be sunny on Saturday but temperatures will bottom out on Saturday night, with lows likely in the 25-to-30-degree range in Houston, with cooler conditions for outlying areas.
“A hard freeze will be possible, but temperatures should be a few degrees warmer than what the region experienced earlier this week,” Berger said on his blog.
Conditions will be a little warmer on Sunday, with sunny skies and highs in the vicinity of 50 degrees. It probably won’t freeze on Sunday night, but it will be close, Berger said, and a light freeze will be possible further inland.
The winter weather comes just as things were getting back to normal in the Lone Star State after a cold snap January 24-26 brought heavy rains that turned to ice and threatened to damage power lines.
Last weekend, CenterPoint reported more than 30,000 power outages over a three-day period. Houston and Harris County officials commended the utility company for being prepared, calling in out-of-state contractors to boost its workforce, and getting the lights and heat back on, in most cases, within a couple of hours. More than 1,400 sought shelter in warming centers throughout Harris County.
CenterPoint spokeswoman Bria Bolden said this week that the power provider remains fully staffed and prepared to respond to outages as cold temperatures persist into the weekend.
“While freezing temperatures alone aren’t typically a concern without ice or frozen precipitation, our crews across all 13 service area centers are ready to respond to any issues,” she said.
Twenty warming centers were demobilized earlier this week and it does not appear at this time that there are plans to reactivate them. It’s not great news for the homeless, who were able to use the overnight shelters to get out of the cold and get warm meals during last weekend’s arctic freeze.
County Judge Lina Hidalgo thanked residents who “listened to the warnings and stayed off the roads [last weekend] so we could get through this safely.” The Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management continues to monitor the weather and is prepared to respond again in the coming days if needed, Hidalgo said.
Some parts of Harris County got light snow flurries and many had to contend with icy roads but other parts of Texas were hit much harder. Some Dallas-area school districts were closed for four days due to snow and ice.
Two 16-year-old Frisco girls died this week from injuries sustained in a January 25 sledding accident.
Elizabeth Angle and Gracie Brito were sledding in a residential area that had been coated by ice and snow. The sled was being pulled by a Jeep Wrangler driven by another teen and hit a curb before striking a tree, the Dallas Morning News reported.
Frisco police and the Denton County District Attorney’s Office are investigating the accident and determining whether charges will be filed against the driver, who has not been identified. Police urged North Texas residents in a statement to stay alert, stay indoors when possible and avoid any unnecessary outdoor activity during dangerous weather conditions.
“This tragedy serves as a reminder of the dangers posed by winter weather conditions,” The statement reads. “For your safety, please keep in mind that snow and ice can create extremely slippery surfaces and lead to serious or even deadly accidents.”