HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Rain returns Wednesday, and we now have declared ABC13 Weather Alert Days Saturday through Monday as an arctic front and winter storm bring the potential for freezing rain and a hard freeze to much of Southeast Texas.
The rainmaker blowing in Wednesday will bring milder temperatures and a few thunderstorms. We’ll start the day with temperatures in the mid 50s and warm into the upper 60s under a cloudy and at times rainy sky. The showers and thunderstorms will be scattered off-and-on throughout the day. Your chance of getting rain is 60%.
We should dry out on Thursday and warm up toward 70 degrees. Then the arctic front will blow in on Friday with a 40% chance of showers. While we should have no frozen precipitation in Southeast Texas on Friday, the winter storm will start cranking up in northern parts of the state with freezing rain, sleet, and snow.
What should I be preparing for with the arctic cold front this weekend?
You need to be prepared to stay warm, stay put, and to possibly go without power should you receive a high amount of freezing rain. The freeze line will enter Southeast Texas before sunrise on Saturday, but it may not reach Houston until later in the afternoon. That said, freezing rain is becoming more likely in Southeast Texas north of I-10. Where freezing rain occurs, it will lead to widespread travel and power disruptions as ice accretes on bridges, elevated roadways, powerlines, and tree branches. Some parts of Southeast Texas north of I-10 could spend more than 48 hours below freezing.
Why are we expecting freezing rain instead of snow?
The arctic air is expected to be shallow, meaning the layer of freezing air will not be thick enough to support snow. Instead, if we get anything frozen at all, it would likely be in the form of freezing rain or sleet (ice pellets).
Is this is a pipe-bursting type of cold?
Potentially. We could spend most of the weekend below freezing but in light freeze territory. How cold we get depends on how much frozen precipitation falls down. We are now expecting a hard freeze to settle in on Sunday night and Monday morning, and that’s when you’ll need to make sure your interior pipes are adequately insulated and protected from the cold.
When will we have more confidence on what will happen with the potential winter storm this weekend?
By Wednesday we should have a clearer picture of how this all unfolds, and then we’ll iron out the finer details Thursday and Friday.
13 ALERT RADAR MAPS:
Southeast Texas
Houston
Harris County
Galveston County
Montgomery/Walker/San Jacinto/Polk/Grimes Counties
Fort Bend/Wharton/Colorado Counties
Brazoria/Matagorda Counties
Have weather tips, videos, and photos?
Send it to ABC13 using the form below. If you have a video or photo to send, terms of use apply. If you don’t, just hit ‘skip upload’ and send the details.
This story comes from our news partner ABC13 Houston.
For more Houston headlines, stay tuned to Que Onda Magazine!