FREEZE-READY

Houston experts share best ways to protect people, pets, plants, pools, and cars from the upcoming freeze

Houston may not see snow again, but it will see an arctic blast.

Photo by Lynn in Midtown

Houston may not quite see a white Christmas, but it will no doubt be frigid, as the city prepares for yet another winter arctic front. CultureMap news partner ABC13 reports that the front will arrive on Thursday, December 22, with temperatures likely falling to the 20s by 9 pm.

Friday may stay below 32 degrees all day, and ABC13 meteorologists predict that Sunday, December 25 may be among the top-three coldest Christmas mornings in Houston history.

Experience tells us to safeguard the four Ps: people, pets, pipes, plants. As Houston is a car town, getting the ride ready for the plunging temps is also crucial.

With that in mind, CultureMap enlisted some local experts to assist harried Houstonians prep for our sudden freeze. Some tips are elementary, some are refreshers, and all are helpful to prevent headaches later.

People
Clearly, residents are advised to stay indoors as much as possible. The City of Houston generally opens the George R. Brown Convention Center or other large venues to those without shelter, as well as warming stations.

Houston nonprofit the Coalition for the Homeless recommends concerned locals donate to these nonprofits to aid in rescue and shelter for those who have no home:

Additionally, Covenant House Texas will keep their doors open for any youth experiencing homelessness, ages 18-24. Youth needing to shelter can go directly to the Third Ward campus (3412 Beulah St.) or call 713-523-2231.

Pets
Tragically, animals — especially dogs and cats — suffer brutally during extreme temps. “When the temperature drops, the absolute best thing you can do for your pet is to bring them inside — remember, dogs and cats can get frostbite and hypothermia just like humans,” Tena Lundquist Faust, co-president of Houston PetSet, tells CultureMap.

Tama Lundquist, co-president of Houston PetSet, reminds Houstonians who witness animal abuse or a dog cruelly chained or tethered outside in the elements to contact their law enforcement agency or file a report with the Harris County Animal Cruelty Taskforce online — or call 832-927-PAWS.

“It is now required by law to provide adequate shelter that will protect dogs from the elements. If you see dogs left outside without shelter, please report it,” she says. “With the temperatures dropping, that call could save that dog’s life.”

Animal-loving Houstonians can also leave cat or dog food — and water, after the freeze — outside for wandering strays who may need some nourishment. Consider donating to local shelters, rescues, and on-the-ground animal assistance groups as well.

CultureMap Dallas senior editor Teresa Gubbins adds these tips from the SPCA of Texas:

Tap your hood. Warm engines attract cats and small animals, who nestle under the hood but can get seriously hurt if a car is running. Tap your hood before starting your car to scare them out.
Check their paws. Check and wipe paws after walks to protect against harsh weather and salt after outdoor walks.
Sweater weather. Consider a warm dry coat for your pet when outdoors.
Watch for chemicals. Antifreeze is poisonous - keep it out of reach.
Stay indoors. Keep poty breaks quick and monitor your pet while outside.
Be alert. Keep an eye out for signs of hypothermia such as shivering, whining, lethargy, decreased heart rate, and trouble walking or breathing.

Gubbins also has tips for helping wildlife, courtesy of The North Texas Wildlife Center:

Put out fresh water in various size bowls, checking frequently to break it up if it freezes or keep it from freezing with a heated bowl or heating device.
Leaves, sticks, and straw provide nesting materials and shelter for wildlife to stay warm.
Put out whole or shelled nuts for squirrels.
Place birdseed in sheltered areas such as under bushes, carports, or umbrellas, to protect from harsh winds.
Keep your cats and dogs indoors.

Don't be surprised to see wildlife at unusual times. They may deviate from their normal schedule to seek food at the wamest time of the day.

Plants
Those with a green thumb have no doubt tended to their floral family. For those who need a little help, Zach Buchanan, owner of Buchanan’s Native Plants in The Heights, offers some tips — and encouragement — after the freeze ravages our planted flora.

“The top of the plant may die, but that doesn't mean the plant is necessarily dead,” says Buchanan, who adds that owners shouldn’t necessarily rip out plants that seem “brown and dead,” as they may regenerate in the spring.

Adding incandescent lights under the blankets which will raise the temperatures on the ground and around the plant, he notes. Then, cover with frost cloth or blankets. Buchanan advises against plastic, as it can burn leaves, unless it’s on top of the blankets. “But it’s best just to avoid plastic,” he adds.

If time, Buchanan says mulching flower beds adds extra insulation for plants and helps guarantee a spring return.

Pipes
Master plumber and owner of All The Time Plumbing Thomas Moreno says that the No. 1 freeze prep for pipes is to turn off and drain the backflow preventer to the yard's sprinkler. "All you really need is a flathead screwdriver to drain it and it will stop the plastic diaphragm from breaking," he tells us. Cover pipes with insulation or old towels and and wrap with duct tape.

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.

Those who won't be home or are prepping additional homes or rentals should shut the water off and drain all faucets.

Leaving and turning off the water? Don't forget to flush toilets to get all water out of the tanks. "During the 2021 freeze, a lot of toilet tanks froze because people weren't there," Moreno says, "but the tanks cracked. We must've replaced 50 toilet tanks."

Pools
Houston real estate expert Paige Martin enlisted Nabors Pools for some freeze tips.

Pools that have automation such as Pentair Easytouch, Hayward OmniLogic, or Jandy Aqualink, should have freeze protection already built into the system. If equipment is properly set up with functional censors — and electricity is running — no action is needed.

Check pools with timers and a variable speed pump with a display or control panel (located at the back of the pump) for freeze protection (if enabled).

For pools with timers and a single-speed pump without Wi-Fi control, app, remote, panel, or alternative control mechanisms, adjust the pump to run continuously during freezing temperatures to avoid damage.

Important reminder: Water temperature is more important than the air temperature. If water temperature is well above freezing, no action is needed. When in doubt, keep the water moving, circulating, and pumps running for safety.

In the event that the area loses electricity, turn off all breakers and drain the equipment — if it's safe. Those unsure of how to do this can watch this video.

Cars
Matt Burrage of Texas-German Autohaus reminds drivers to flush out water from their wipers and fill washer fluid — compatible for freezes — and run it for one minute.

Keep cars in garages if possible, and ensure that coolant systems have actual antifreeze and not just water. "Freezes make the water in those systems expand," says Burrage, the result is cracked parts that overheat when the car finally drives — and the car overheats.

Don't surprise to see low-tire warning after the freeze (cold air compresses air in tires.) Burrgage notes that local Discount Tire shops have seen 200 cars at a time in line for the tire pressure station. Owners of older cars should ensure batteries are tested and oil has been changed — preferably to synthetic.

Speaking of cold, cars, and animals: it's always smart to honk the horn or beat the hood to warn and critters in the car that have sought shelter.

"Nine years ago, a man called us and said he heard a cat meowing in his car," says Burrage. The man (for some reason) drove 25 minutes to Burrage, whose team extracted a kitten that had desperately clung to the transmission for warmth.

Thankfully, the story has a happy ending: A (rather annoyed) Burrage gave the cold, lonely, terrified kitten to a staffer, who adopted and named it — fittingly — Mercedes.

Winter weather warning

Arctic air will bring hard freeze to Houston this weekend

Photo by Uliana Sova on Unsplash

This weekend could bring ice to Dallas-Fort Worth and beyond.

With many Americans still recovering from multiple blasts of snow and unrelenting freezing temperatures in the nation’s northern tier, a new storm is set to emerge this weekend that could coat roads, trees and power lines with devastating ice across a wide expanse of the South, including Texas.

The storm arriving late this week and into the weekend is shaping up to be a “widespread potentially catastrophic event from Texas to the Carolinas,” said Ryan Maue, a former chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“I don’t know how people are going to deal with it,” he said.

Forecasters on Tuesday, January 20 warned that the ice could weigh down trees and power lines, triggering widespread outages.

“If you get a half of an inch of ice — or heaven forbid an inch of ice — that could be catastrophic,” said Keith Avery, CEO of the Newberry Electric Cooperative in South Carolina.

The National Weather Service warned of "great swaths of heavy snow, sleet, and treacherous freezing rain” starting Friday in much of the nation’s midsection and then shifting toward the East Coast through Sunday.

Temperatures will be slow to warm in many areas, meaning ice that forms on roads and sidewalks might stick around, forecasters say.

The exact timing of the approaching storm — and where it is headed — remained uncertain on Tuesday. Forecasters say it can be challenging to predict precisely which areas could see rain and which ones could be punished with ice.

Meteorologists at WFAA say it's too early for an exact forecast across Dallas-Fort Worth. But it's good to start being weather aware.

Here’s what to know:

Cold air clashing with rain to fuel a 'major winter storm’
An extremely cold arctic air mass is set to dive south from Canada, setting up a clash with the cold temperatures and rain that will be streaming eastward across the southern U.S.

“This is extreme, even for this being the peak of winter,” National Weather Service meteorologist Bryan Jackson said of the cold temperatures.

When the cold air meets the rain, the likely result will be “a major winter storm with very impactful weather, with all the moisture coming up from the Gulf and encountering all this particularly cold air that’s spilling in,” Jackson said.

Texas could be a harbinger for other parts of the South
Some of the storm’s earliest impacts could be in Texas on Friday, as the arctic air mass slides south through much of the state, National Weather Service forecaster Sam Shamburger said in a briefing on the storm.

“At the same time, we’re expecting rain to move into much of the state,” Shamburger said.

Low temperatures could fall into the 20s or even the teens in parts of Texas by Saturday, with the potential for a wintery mix of weather in the northern part of the state.

Forecasters cautioned that significant uncertainty remains, particularly over how much ice or snow could fall across north and central Texas.

“It’s going to be a very difficult forecast,” Shamburger said.

An atmospheric river could set up across the Southern U.S.
An atmospheric river of moisture could be in place by the weekend, pulling precipitation across Texas and other states along the Gulf Coast and continuing across Georgia and the Carolinas, forecasters said.

“Global models are painting a concerning picture of what this weekend could look like, with an increasingly strong signal for ice storm potential across North Georgia and portions of central Georgia,” according to the National Weather Service's Atlanta office.

Highway and air travel could be tangled by the storm
Travel is a major concern, as Southern states have less equipment to remove snow and ice from roads, and extremely cold temperatures expected after the storm could prevent ice from melting for several days.

The storm is also expected to impact many of the nation’s major hub airports, including those in Dallas-Fort Worth; Atlanta; Memphis, Tennessee; and Charlotte, North Carolina.

Polar air from Canada to keep northern states in a deep freeze
Unusually cold temperatures are already in place across much of the northern tier of the U.S., but the blast of arctic air expected later this week is “will be the coldest yet,” Jackson said.

“There’s a large sprawling vortex of low pressure centered over Hudson Bay,” Jackson said of the sea in northern Canada that’s connected to the Arctic Ocean. “And this is dominating the weather over all of North America.”

weather