HOUSTON — We're finally above the freezing mark Houston --after 41 hours!
The blast of Arctic air continues in for Southeast Texas and the rest of the country. Temperatures hit the freezing mark Thursday around 6 p.m. at Bush Airport and finally this afternoon we push past them.
Here is your Christmas Eve forecast:
We're past the freezing mark this afternoon and marching to a high near 40 degrees although it'll still feel a bit colder in the upper 20s/ low 30s.
That said, it's a great improvement from the feeling yesterday morning.
Here's how the 'Wind Chill' values compared Friday vs. our Saturday morning:
We don't feel as chilly during the day because we have sunshine and wind has relaxed.
However, the lack of wind will make for another below freezing night tonight into Christmas Morning and again into Monday morning.
Watches and warnings
- Another hard freeze warning has been issued for Southeast Texas tonight into Sunday morning.
That said, the Christmas Day high looks a little better!
After the holiday weekend things are looking up. It's high pressure to the rescue bumping highs to the low 70s by the end of the workweek, and then a dip in the jet stream means we'll swap the winter coats for umbrellas.
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Timeline of Arctic blast
Christmas Eve -- Hard freeze potential remains with low temps in the 10s and 20s, highs should crack just above freezing in some areas by the afternoon.
Christmas Day - Morning lows will once again likely be below freezing, however, we will warm into the middle/upper 40s by later in the afternoon.
Meteorologist Kim Castro has your freezing forecast in Spanish.
Preparing for the freeze
City of Houston leaders are urging homeowners to start prepping their homes for the freezing weather now, especially if they have plans to head out of town for Christmas. That includes protecting the pipes.
It's important to know a hard freeze could impact agricultural crops, outdoor residential plants and your pipes if you don't properly prepare.
Plumbing technicians say the worst mistake you can make during this cold snap is to do nothing. They recommend doing something as simple as covering your outside pipes with insulation to help make sure your pipes won’t burst.
"Water pipes have the potential to freeze and burst when the outside temperature reaches 20 F or below," according to a Texas A&M study.
Pipes that are most vulnerable to freezing are usually those exposed to severe cold air like swimming pool supply lines and water sprinkler lines.
During cold snaps, you also want to keep the heater running, even if you're out of town for the holiday. It's a good idea to leave your heat on at about 67 degrees to protect your home from the freezing temps, according to Chief Meteorologist David Paul.
Other tips to protect your home:
- Keep the garage door closed if there are water supply lines located inside.
- Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warm air to circulate around the plumbing.
- Keep the heating thermostat set at a consistent temperature both day and night.
- If you are going out of town and have a heat pump system, and if the temperature is forecast to be extremely low, you may need to switch the setting to emergency heat and reduce the thermostat setting to 55 °F.
Is ERCOT ready?
We may not see a repeat of the 2021 Texas winter storm, but with cold weather on the horizon, many of us think back to the power problems that crippled Texas and led to hundreds of deaths.
The new head of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas said Tuesday there will be enough power to meet demand as an arctic blast moves through the state later this week.
“We continue to expect adequate supply with reserves for the approaching cold weather conditions,” CEO Pablo Vegas told ERCOT board members at a regularly scheduled meeting in Austin Tuesday morning.
ERCOT said it has implemented a variety of improvements to make the grid more reliable, including new weatherization works and inspections. The organization said it's coordinating additional fuel supplies for power plants so we don't run into a situation where natural gas providers can't get fuel to the plants that need it.
It also said it has made sure plant maintenance is scheduled well in advance of weather events like this cold snap, but Hirs said there's still a long way to go.
The KHOU 11 Weather Team will know more about the Arctic blast as we head into next week. Follow our team meteorologist for updates.
