The much advertised arctic cold front should move into the Austin area before 4 a.m., and sweep through the rest of the KXAN viewing area before sunrise.

A few showers, mixed with some sleet, will be possible briefly early Thursday, but precipitation should end quickly, well before roads have a chance to become icy.

Temperatures will begin a steady decline upon frontal passage, falling below freezing across most of Central Texas Thursday morning, and potentially not warming above 32 degrees again until Saturday.

The biting, gusty north winds of 25-35 mph behind the front will produce wind chills in the teens and 20s during the day Thursday, and in the single digits to near zero in some areas during the evening.

This will be a prolonged cold wave, as Friday and Saturday morning temperatures may fall to levels not seen since February, 1996.  It will be nearly as cold again early Sunday morning, before some moderation in temperature begins Sunday.

My advice would be to think about the things you hate to do when it’s really cold outside, like filling your gas tank, grocery shopping, etc., and do them today or this evening. By morning, it will be too late!

Below you will find a plethora of information regarding this unusually cold arctic outbreak, including the latest graphics and advisories from the National Weather Service, a downloadable wind chill chart, and some important cold weather safety tips for your family, pets, and property. 

An arctic cold front will move across South Central Texas after midnight, bringing the coldest air of this season and the past few winters. There is a slight chance of rain, possibly mixed with sleet Thursday morning. Any sleet would be north of line from Giddings to Bastrop to Dripping Springs and Spicewood. Little or no accumulations are expected.

Much colder than normal with a hard freeze Friday, Saturday, and Sunday mornings. Wind Chills Friday morning will range from the single digits in the hill country to teens south central areas. Temperatures will gradually moderate Sunday afternoon into early next week.

FRIDAY MORNING WILL BE BRUTALLY COLD AS LOWS DROP INTO THE TEENS WITH NORTH WINDS AT 10 TO 15 MPH MAKING IT FEEL LIKE ITS BELOW 0 NORTH OF INTERSTATE 20. WINDCHILL ADVISORIES MAY BE NEEDED.

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
401 PM CST WED JAN 6 2010

MONTAGUE-COOKE-GRAYSON-FANNIN-LAMAR-YOUNG-JACK-WISE-DENTON-COLLIN-
HUNT-DELTA-HOPKINS-STEPHENS-PALO PINTO-PARKER-TARRANT-DALLAS-
ROCKWALL-KAUFMAN-VAN ZANDT-RAINS-EASTLAND-ERATH-HOOD-SOMERVELL-
JOHNSON-ELLIS-HENDERSON-COMANCHE-MILLS-HAMILTON-BOSQUE-HILL-
NAVARRO-FREESTONE-ANDERSON-LAMPASAS-CORYELL-BELL-MCLENNAN-FALLS-
LIMESTONE-LEON-MILAM-ROBERTSON-

…AN ARCTIC AIRMASS TO BRING FRIGID TEMPERATURES TO NORTH TEXAS
THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY…

AN ARCTIC COLD FRONT WILL ARRIVE IN NORTH TEXAS TONIGHT AND BRING
AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF BELOW FREEZING TEMPERATURES TO THE REGION.
TEMPERATURES WILL DROP BELOW FREEZING BEGINNING AFTER MIDNIGHT
TONIGHT AND SHOULD BRIEFLY RISE ABOVE FREEZING SATURDAY AFTERNOON
ACROSS MOST OF NORTH TEXAS. TEMPERATURES WILL THEN FALL BACK BELOW
FREEZING SATURDAY NIGHT. STRONG NORTH WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH WITH
GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH WILL ACCOMPANY THE ARCTIC FRONT TONIGHT AND
THURSDAY. THIS WILL RESULT IN FRIGID WIND CHILLS IN THE TEENS AND
SINGLE DIGITS ON THURSDAY ACROSS NORTH TEXAS. WIND CHILLS MAY
DROP BELOW ZERO FOR AREAS NORTH OF INTERSTATE 20 FRIDAY MORNING
AND AGAIN SATURDAY MORNING.

IN ADDITION TO THE ARCTIC AIR…A CHANCE OF LIGHT RAIN WILL BE
POSSIBLE THIS EVENING…BEFORE CHANGING OVER TO PATCHY LIGHT
FREEZING RAIN OR DRIZZLE BEFORE DAYBREAK THURSDAY MORNING. AREAS
NORTH OF A GATESVILLE TO ATHENS LINE WILL BE THE MOST LIKELY
LOCATIONS TO SEE FROZEN PRECIPITATION. NO SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS
OF ICE ARE EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. HOWEVER…SOME PATCHY LIGHT
ICING IS POSSIBLE OVERNIGHT TONIGHT…MAINLY ON ELEVATED BRIDGES
AND OVERPASSES THAT REMAIN WET AS THE ARCTIC AIR MOVES IN. THIS
COULD RESULT IN SOME SLICK SPOTS FOR THE THURSDAY MORNING COMMUTE.

RESIDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO MAKE PREPARATIONS NOW. A HARD FREEZE CAN
CAUSE DAMAGE TO EXPOSED WATER PIPES AND CAN DAMAGE SENSITIVE
VEGETATION. OUTDOOR PETS WILL ALSO REQUIRE PLENTY OF SHELTER AND
PROTECTION FROM FRIGID TEMPERATURES AND WIND CHILLS. EXTRA
PROTECTIVE CLOTHING WILL BE NEEDED FOR ANYONE EXPECTED TO BE
OUTDOORS DURING THIS TIME… ESPECIALLY CHILDREN GOING TO AND
FROM SCHOOL. LAYERS OF CLOTHING AND AN INSULATED WINTER COAT AND
HAT WORK BEST TO INSULATE THE BODY FROM THE EXTREME COLD.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO…LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS…OR VISIT
US ON THE WEB AT WEATHER.GOV/FORTWORTH FOR THE LATEST FORECAST
DETAILS. 

______________________________________________________________

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX
FISHER-NOLAN-STERLING-COKE-RUNNELS-IRION-TOM GREEN-CONCHO-
CROCKETT-SCHLEICHER-SUTTON-HASKELL-THROCKMORTON-JONES-SHACKELFORD-
TAYLOR-CALLAHAN-COLEMAN-BROWN-MCCULLOCH-SAN SABA-MENARD-KIMBLE-
MASON-
324 PM CST WED JAN 6 2010

…ARCTIC AIR TO INVADE WEST CENTRAL TEXAS TONIGHT…

AN ARCTIC AIR MASS WILL INVADE THE AREA TONIGHT…USHERING
IN THE COLDEST TEMPERATURES SO FAR THIS WINTER. THE ARCTIC
FRONT IS EXPECTED TO ENTER THE BIG COUNTRY BY EARLY TO MID
EVENING…THEN SURGE SOUTH ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA
OVERNIGHT. STRONG NORTH WINDS WILL DEVELOP BEHIND THE FRONT
WITH TEMPERATURES FALLING INTO THE LOW TO MID 20S BY DAYBREAK
THURSDAY. THE STRONG WINDS IN COMBINATION WITH THE COLD TEMPERATURES
WILL RESULT IN WIND CHILL INDICES LOWERING INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS
AND LOW TEENS DURING THE MORNING HOURS. IN ADDITION TO THE COLD
TEMPERATURES…SOME LIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE OR SNOW FLURRIES MAY
DEVELOP BEHIND THE FRONT THROUGH EARLY MORNING. NO ACCUMULATION
IS EXPECTED BUT SOME PATCHY SLICK SPOTS MAY DEVELOP ON AREA
ROADWAYS.

AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF VERY COLD TEMPERATURES WILL OCCUR ACROSS
WEST CENTRAL TEXAS INTO SATURDAY MORNING WITH OVERNIGHT LOWS
DROPPING INTO THE LOWER AND MID TEENS BOTH THURSDAY NIGHT AND
FRIDAY NIGHT. THE SUB FREEZING TEMPERATURES WILL POSE A DANGER
TO LIVESTOCK AND PETS…AND RESULT IN THE FREEZING OF UNPROTECTED
PIPES. PLAN NOW TO PROTECT WATER PIPES…LIVESTOCK AND DOMESTIC
ANIMALS AND REMEMBER TO CHECK ON THE ELDERLY.

THE ARCTIC AIR MASS WILL SHIFT EAST ON SATURDAY WITH TEMPERATURES
WARMING INTO THE LOWER 50S BY SUNDAY.

 

 Cold Weather Safety

 [Wind Chill FAQ]   [Printable Chart (pdf)]   

                                     [Cold Weather Safety from CDC (pdf)]

During Cold Weather, Take Preventive Action

• Keep garage doors closed if there are water supply lines in the garage.
• Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing. Be sure to move any harmful cleaners and household chemicals up out of the reach of children.
• When the weather is very cold outside, let the cold water drip from the faucet served by exposed pipes. Running water through the pipe – even at a trickle – helps prevent pipes from freezing because the temperature of the water running through it is above freezing.
• Keep the thermostat set to the same temperature both during the day and at night. By temporarily suspending the use of lower nighttime temperatures, you may incur a higher heating bill, but you can prevent a much more costly repair job if pipes freeze and burst.
• If you will be going away during cold weather, leave the heat on in your home, set to a temperature no lower than 55ºF.

Preventing Frozen Pipes

• Before the onset of cold weather, prevent freezing of these water supply lines and pipes by following these recommendations:
• Drain water from swimming pool and water sprinkler supply lines following manufacturer’s or installer’s directions. Do not put antifreeze in these lines unless directed. Antifreeze is environmentally harmful, and is dangerous to humans, pets, wildlife, and landscaping.
• Remove, drain, and store hoses used outdoors. Close inside valves supplying outdoor hose bibs. Open the outside hose bibs to allow water to drain. Keep the outside valve open so that any water remaining in the pipe can expand without causing the pipe to break.
• Check around the home for other areas where water supply lines are located and are in unheated areas. Look in the basement, crawl space, attic, garage, and under kitchen and bathroom cabinets. Both hot and cold water pipes in these areas should be insulated. A hot water supply line can freeze just as a cold water supply line can freeze if the water is not running through the pipe and the water temperature in the pipe is cold.
• Consider installing specific products made to insulate water pipes like a “pipe sleeve” or installing UL-listed “heat tape,” “heat cable,” or similar materials on exposed water pipes. Many products are available at your local building supplies retailer. Pipes should be carefully wrapped, with ends butted tightly and joints wrapped with tape. Follow manufacturer’s recommendations for installing and using these products. Newspaper can provide some degree of insulation and protection to exposed pipes – even ¼” of newspaper can provide significant protection in areas that usually do not have frequent or prolonged temperatures below freezing.

Why pipe freezing is a problem

• Water has a unique property in that it expands as it freezes. This expansion puts tremendous pressure on whatever is containing it, including metal or plastic pipes. No matter the “strength” of a container, expanding water can cause pipes to break. Pipes that freeze most frequently are those that are exposed to severe cold, like outdoor hose bibs, swimming pool supply lines, water sprinkler lines, and water supply pipes in unheated interior areas like basements and crawl spaces, attics, garages, or kitchen cabinets. Also, pipes that run against exterior walls that have little or no insulation are also subject to freezing.
• Pipe freezing is a particular problem in warmer climates where pipes often run through uninsulated or underinsulated attics or crawl spaces.

To Thaw Frozen Pipes

• If you turn on a faucet and only a trickle comes out, suspect a frozen pipe. Locate the suspected frozen area of the water pipe. Likely places include pipes running against exterior walls or where your water service enters your home through the foundation.
• Keep the faucet open. As you treat the frozen pipe and the frozen area begins to melt, water will begin to flow through the frozen area. Running water through the pipe will help melt more ice in the pipe.
• Apply heat to the section of pipe using an electric heating pad wrapped around the pipe, and electric hair dryer, a portable space heater (kept away from flammable materials), or wrapping pipes with towels soaked in hot water. Do not use a blowtorch, kerosene or propane heater, charcoal stove, or other open flame device. A blowtorch can make water in a frozen pipe boil and cause the pipe to explode. All open flames in homes present a serious fire danger, as well as a severe risk of exposure to lethal carbon monoxide.
• Apply heat until full water pressure is restored. If you are unable to locate the frozen area, if the frozen area is not accessible, or if you can not thaw the pipe, call a licensed plumber.
• Check all other faucets in your home to find out if you have additional frozen pipes. If one pipe freezes, others may freeze, too.

Future Protection

• Consider relocating exposed pipes to provide increased protection from freezing. Pipes can be relocated by a professional if the home is remodeled.
• Add insulation added to attics, basements, and crawl spaces. Insulation will maintain higher temperatures in these areas.
• For more information, please contact a licensed plumber or building professional.