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An arctic blast is expected to arrive this week with below-freezing temperatures hitting the Austin area Tuesday night and sticking around through Thursday.
The National Weather Service has issued a cold weather advisory for the Austin area from midnight until noon Wednesday and an extreme cold warning Wednesday night through Thursday morning.
The NWS has also issued a wind advisory from Tuesday night through Wednesday at noon with gusts possibly reaching 40 mph in some parts of Central Texas. High-speed winds could make it difficult to travel and knock down tree limbs. The winds could also cause power outages.
The agency expects the overnight windchill – which will bring the coldest weather of the season – could make temperatures feel like 10 degrees or lower, putting people and pets outside at risk of hypothermia. Without protection, plants and pipes could also suffer from the extreme cold.
“There will be widespread freezing across the entire state with temperatures down to near zero degrees,” Gov. Greg Abbott said at a news conference Monday. “People need to be very cautious over the coming days as temperatures plummet, so make sure that you take care of yourself.”
The weather service said there’s a low chance of precipitation in the Austin area Tuesday night and Friday. Mack Morris, a meteorologist for the NWS, said, however, that the area likely won’t see a wintery mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain like it did last month.
“It’s probably going to be fairly dry,” he said. “This front compared to the last one, there’s not nearly as much moisture to work with.”
If there is precipitation, he said, it’ll probably be liquid and not a cause for concern.
The cold weather is expected through the weekend.
Protect your pipes
Morris recommends people wrap their pipes and drip faucets when temperatures dip below freezing this week.
“Because of our exposed pipes and because we don’t drain our pipes like they do up north, there’s still could be water in them,” he said. “If that water freezes, it hardens and it expands. … It could make [pipes] crack, which is not good.”
Running water is less likely to freeze than still water, so plumbers recommend dripping both hot and cold water overnight as a precaution when it’s freezing outside. That goes for both houses and apartments.
Grid conditions
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages the state’s electric grid, issued a weather watch for Wednesday through Friday due to the forecast. The watch means there could be a higher demand for electricity than what is available.
ERCOT said it expects grid conditions will be normal during this time and that it would be monitoring weather conditions. The agency recommends residents sign up for notifications through the Texas Advisory and Notification System (TXANS) to stay informed.
Cold-weather shelters
Austin’s Homeless Strategy Office said the city will open cold-weather shelters on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights. People can register to stay at the shelters from 6-8 p.m. at One Texas Center on Barton Springs Road. Capital Metro bus fare to the center will be free.
Under updated rules, the city now opens overnight shelters when the forecast is 35 degrees or below. More information on shelters can be found here.
Austin’s Parks and Recreation facilities and city libraries will also serve as warming centers during the day. The city recommends checking hours of operation before arriving.
Southside Community Center in San Marcos, the only overnight warming center in Hays County, said it would open Tuesday at 7 p.m. and provide updates on its Facebook page about operations later in the week.
Follow the latest tweets from the NWS below.
