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In the upcoming days, the Houston area is prepared for extremely cold temperatures, as well as the possibility of snow and ice.
The National Weather Service predicts that Sunday night’s temperatures will drop below freezing and reach the 20s. Snow is also expected on Monday evening and Tuesday early as of Friday. Tuesday’s maximum temperature in Houston is expected to reach 35 degrees.
Frank Billingsley, a meteorologist with Houston Public Media, predicted that Monday will be chilly. “Tuesday is going to be a little colder.”
Tuesday night’s low is predicted to be 24 degrees. On Wednesday, when a high of 44 and a low of 34 are predicted, things should start to warm up.
It’s possible that a strong freeze, defined as temperatures of 25 degrees or less, may hit a large portion of Houston, Space City Weathereditor Eric Berger stated on Houston Matters on Friday.
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Harris County and the City of Houston are keeping an eye out for any possible precipitation. Residents are advised to avoid using the roads beginning Sunday afternoon as the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) gets ready to treat bridges and high connector ramps this weekend.
To get Houston’s homeless population ready for the cold, homeless outreach teams will be hitting the streets. Over 3,000 individuals are homeless in Houston at any given moment, according to the Coalition for the Homeless.
The Coalition for the Homeless, one of several organizations preparing unsheltered Houstonians for the cold, has vice president of public affairs Catherine Villarreal. “Our teams are going to be out in the field in the coming days, like letting people know that this freeze event is coming up,” she said.
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According to Neil Gandhi, assistant medical director of Houston Methodist Hospital’s emergency room, people are at risk for wind chill, frostbite, and hypothermia when the temperature falls below 30 degrees. People who spend a lot of time outside are more vulnerable.
“Hypothermia can lead to pain, swelling and infection,” added Gandhi. “Amputations may result from hypothermia in extreme circumstances. Unfortunately, we do encounter cases each year with these protracted cold periods.
Gandhi advised covering up when the weather drops.
“We think it’s important for individuals who are outdoors to make sure that they keep their head covered, and that they are wearing multiple layers of clothes, jackets and that they also keep their extremities covered as well,” he stated.
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Pets may also be at risk of harm or death in cold weather.
“The rule on pets is, if you don’t want to sleep out there … neither do they,” Billingsley stated. “So, bring your pets in and protect your vegetation.”
To prevent frost damage, outside plants might need to be covered or moved inside.
According to the city, pipes that run beneath or outside of a house should be covered with pipe insulation to prevent cracks caused by water freezing and growing inside of them.
Regarding the homeless population in the area, Villarreal stated that the decision to remain or seek shelter is ultimately up to the individual. For individuals who opt to remain in place, outreach teams will distribute blankets and jackets and provide information on shelters and warming centers.
Beginning Monday, the YMCA of Greater Houston will make all of its locations available as warming centers during regular business hours.
In order to protect residents from the impending freeze, the City of Houston will open ten warming centers at 6 p.m. on Sunday. The places are as follows:
- Acres Homes Multi-Service Center at 6719 W. Montgomery Rd.
- Denver Harbor Multi-Service Center at 6402 Market St.
- Fonde Community Center at 110 Sabine St.
- Kashmere Multi-Service Center at 4802 Lockwood Dr.
- Magnolia Multi-Service Center at 7037 Capitol St.
- Sunnyside Multi-Service Center at 4410 Reed Rd.
- Moody Community Center at 3725 Fulton St.
- Metropolitan Multi-Service Center at 1475 W. Gray St.
- Northeast Multi-Service Center at 9720 Spaulding St.
- Southwest Multi-Service Center at 6400 High Star Dr.
When temperatures dropped below freezing last week, the city refused to establish warming centers, drawing condemnation from officials. According to a representative for the city’s Office of Emergency Management, this resulted from a city policy that dates back to the previous administration, which was headed by former Mayor Sylvester Turner. This policy permits the city to open warming centers after temperatures fall to 24 degrees, or 15 degrees with wind chill, for at least two hours.
Due to exposure from last week’s ice, METRO officials reported one death at a Second Ward bus stop. According to earlier statements made by Mayor John Whitmire, the man declined to be taken to a shelter.
In response to this criticism, Whitmire stated at a press conference on Friday that “anyone that needs a shelter, gets a shelter.”
“Quite frankly, those that refuse we re doing everything we can within the law and our training to persuade them to seek shelter,” Whitmire stated.
In order to make services available to those in need, Brian Murray of Harris County’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management said his staff has been in communication with other groups.
Regarding our partners’ preparedness, we’re at ease with what we’re hearing,” Murray stated. We’re only waiting to see if ice and snow will be a part of our trip, but for now, I believe we’re headed in the right direction.
As of Friday, the National Weather Service said that was likely. According to Berger, snow is predicted in the metropolis and in places to the north, while ice or sleet may be seen in locations south of Houston.
Road conditions are likely to be dangerous during any of those precipitation kinds, according to Berger.
According to Berger, we’re not very good at forecasting rainfall totals three to four days ahead of time, and the same is true for snow. It’s possible that we’ll have 1, 2, 3, or 4 inches of snow, which would be the most substantial amount of snowfall we’ve had in a few decades.
