Houston weather: Preparations underway ahead of possibly the coldest weather in more than a year
Houston braces for Arctic Air as ERCOT's Weather Watch nears
With just 5 days until ERCOT's weather watch takes effect, Houston's Anthony Antoine urges viewers to prepare for the impending Arctic air. As the Gulf Coast Weather Authority, FOX 26 provides team coverage, starting with Matthew Seedroff reporting on how state agencies are responding
HOUSTON - A blast of freezing winter air is expected to surge across Texas early next week. The cold front is still roughly four days away, but there is a possibility for temperatures to drop into the lower 20’s or colder. In addition, forecasters say they can’t rule out the possibility of wintry precipitation.
"Right now, we stand ready," said Danny Perez, a spokesperson for TxDOT. "We’re prepared. We have material ready."
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According to Perez, TxDOT crews are monitoring the forecasts and prepared to act if needed.
"If we have to start to treat the roads, then we will work with our law enforcement partners to get an escort to get out there on the roadways, but to do so safely," said Perez.
ERCOT has issued a Weather Watch from January 15 through January 17. ERCOT, or the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which operates the state’s power grid, says the alert came due to an expected forecast of significant weather and high demand.
The expected arctic blast is set to blow into the Houston area late Sunday or early Monday.
According to FOX 26 Meteorologist John Dawson, this will be the coldest temperature seen in Houston in over a year. Some in the Houston area will experience a hard freeze on Tuesday morning with temperatures below 24 degrees and wind chills even lower, with some coastal counties seeing possible lows in the twenties.
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On Wednesday, residents in Houston were starting to prepare for the cold temperatures.
"Eight out of 10 people have come in here for something to protect their pipes and plumbing with," said John Longnecker, an employee at C&D Hardware & Gifts in The Heights.
Although the expected winter weather is still days away, Houston residents were already purchasing supplies on Wednesday.
"I’m looking for something to cover my plants with, because I have a lot of vegetation," said Grace Machac. "Last time, I lost all of my citrus."
In February 2021, a deadly winter storm knocked out power for days across Texas. Snow, freezing rain and a bitter cold caused pipes to burst. The storm has been reported as the biggest insurance claim event in Texas history.
"I don’t think it looks as bad as the one we had a couple years ago," said another shopper Wednesday. "I still don’t want to lose my pipes."
Most of southeast Texas will stay in the 30s as a high Tuesday afternoon, with many around Houston seeing freezing or below for Wednesday morning as well, Dawson says.
No action is needed by the public at this time. You can monitor current and extended grid conditions on ercot.com.
The Texas Advisory and Notifications System, or TXANS, allows residents to get early notifications ahead of periods of higher demand. You can sign up through email, download the ERCOT app, or follow ERCOT on social media.