HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — We’re done with the wintry precipitation but not the winter weather. Dangerously cold conditions will lead to a hard freeze Monday morning.
An Extreme Cold Warning is in effect for all of Southeast Texas until noon Tuesday. Temperatures will fall well below freezing by sunrise on Monday. The daily record low temperature for January 26th is 23 degrees, which will be challenged Monday morning with a forecast low of 21 degrees for Houston. Factor in the gusty northerly breeze and we’ll have wind chill values in the single digits.
Conditions this cold can pose a risk to your health and lead to frostbite or hypothermia if proper precautions aren’t taken. Thankfully will see more sunshine on Monday helping us warm into the mid-upper 30s. But that’s still pretty cold for Southeast Texas standards, especially seeing that the normal high temperatures for late January is in the mid 60s.
Is this is a dangerous, pipe-bursting type of cold?
Yes. We expect temperatures to drop into the teens and low 20s on Sunday night and Monday morning everywhere except around Galveston Island. That’s when you’ll need to make sure your interior pipes are adequately insulated and protected from the cold. The wind will still be blowing, so wind chill factors will drop into the single digits and teens Monday morning, and some places northwest of Houston could have wind chills below zero. The National Weather Service has placed all of Southeast Texas under an Extreme Cold Warning during this timeframe. It’s important that all people, pets, and livestock are protected from the cold to avoid hypothermia.
What about any ice?
For areas that picked up ice accumulations from freezing rain and sleet Saturday night, those icy surfaces could last into Monday morning. This will be mainly north and west of Harris County. Additionally, if trees and powerline near you still have ice on them, the combination of the breeze tonight and duration for having this kind of weight on the liens could lead to localized power outages Sunday night.
When will we be done with the freezing weather?
Temperatures should climb above freezing on Monday afternoon, but we expect another hard freeze on Monday night and Tuesday morning. A light freeze is possible Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, especially north of Houston. Then we should be done with this round of arctic air.
I heard another arctic front is coming this weekend. Is that true?
We do predict another round of arctic air will arrive Friday. Our focus right now is on helping you get through our current winter storm, then we’ll spend more time nailing down the details of the next cold, wintry blast.
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