Let it snow?
Significant snowfall and hard freeze predicted for Houston
We're probably about to see a repeat of this picture from 2021.
The Bayou City is no stranger to chilly temperatures, but actual snowfall is pretty rare. Still, that is exactly what's on tap for the evening of Monday, January 20 and the morning of Tuesday, January 21.
The experts at Space City Weather just shared their forecast for the next few days. Here it is:
At this time it looks like most of the precipitation that falls early next week will probably be snow. For some areas south of Houston, particularly in Brazos and Matagorda counties, there may be more sleet or freezing rain. It’s not clear where that transition will occur, but it is entirely possible that Houston wakes up on Tuesday morning and there are 3 or 6 inches of snow on the ground. This would be the most snow Houston has received in at least two decades.
If prior snowfalls are any indication, travel across the Houston area will be difficult at best until things warm up on Wednesday and Thursday. Start preparing now to be hunkered down for a couple of days.
CultureMap has previously shared tips for how to prepare for a hard freeze. See them all here. A few highlights related to people, pets, pipes, and plants include:
- Bring pets inside. They can suffer from hypothermia just like people can.
- Check and wipe paws after walks to protect against harsh weather and salt after outdoor walks.
- Cover plants with blankets. Adding incandescent lights under the blankets will raise the temperatures on the ground and around the plant
- Cover pipes with insulation or old towels and and wrap with duct tape, and faucets with covers (found at any hardware store) or duct tape and towels.
- Inside, open cabinets that house plumbing fixtures to allow hot air to get into cabinets and let faucets trickle if they face an outside wall on the other side.
Thankfully, Space City remains optimistic that ERCOT will be able to generate enough power to keep the grid flowing. If that's the case, power outages would be localized to areas where lines get damaged by snow or ice. "At this time we don’t anticipate major power disruptions during the winter storm, but certainly that is not something we can guarantee," they write.
With proper preparation, we can all weather the storm. And maybe even snap some fun pics of the snow like we did in 2021.
