Winter storm to hit North Texas won’t compare to 2021 Texas Freeze. Here’s what to know
A winter storm watch has been issued by the National Weather Service for North, Central and Northeast Texas, which includes Fort Worth, Arlington and Dallas. The watch was issued ahead of a cold front expected to hit the region on Wednesday with below-freezing temperatures and chances of sleet and snow.
Total snow accumulations of up to 2 inches and ice accumulations of up to three-tenths of an inch will be possible, according to the advisory, which says travel could be very difficult.
Although the watch is in effect from Wednesday evening until Thursday afternoon, this week’s winter weather will not compare to last February’s winter storm, which knocked out power to much of the state, experts say.
Madison Gordon, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Fort Worth, said a cold front will arrive Wednesday with the low temperature expected to hover around 20 degrees that night. The high on Thursday is only expected to reach 26 in the Fort Worth area, with a low around 16. Friday also will be cold, but temperatures are expected to pick back up in the 40s by Saturday.
In 2021, the Dallas-Fort Worth area experienced freezing or below freezing temperatures for more than nine days, or 222 hours, from Feb. 13-21, according to a report by the NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center.
“This is a different system entirely and the cold temperatures are not expected to linger for as long,” Gordon said.
A transition from rain to a wintry mix of freezing rain, sleet and a chance of snow is expected to start Wednesday night into Thursday. Gordon said on Thursday there will be a low snow potential in the afternoon and precipitation chances will end after sunset.
As of Monday afternoon, wintry mix accumulation totals are uncertain, she said, because depending on when below-freezing temperatures happen, the wintry mix could have much less of an impact.
The National Weather Service in Fort Worth posted on its social media Monday that the greatest concern for travel impacts will be Wednesday night through early Friday morning. The high on Friday will be around freezing — Gordon said depending on how much sunshine the region receives, it could diminish any travel impacts for the rest of that day.
According to the National Weather Service’s winter storm watch, road conditions could be bad, ice accumulations and gusty winds on utility lines could cause power disruptions, and cold wind chills could result in hypothermia if precautions are not taken.
Although the winter weather will not be comparable to last year’s freeze, Gordon said, it’s important to prepare for accumulations of a mix of precipitation and lingering cold temperatures.
Will power stay on?
In a statement from utility company Oncor, the company said predicted ice accumulations pose the greatest possible impact to electric service because ice can weigh down tree limbs, causing them to significantly sag or break onto power lines and create dangerous road conditions.
While Oncor delivers energy to over 10 million Texans, it does not own or operate power generation facilities — those operations are led by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, also known as ERCOT.
Interim ERCOT CEO Brad Jones told Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV that the company is “very ready” for this year’s winter weather.
“We have spent the last 12 months making sure all the generators are ready to operate, working with our transmission distribution providers and also making sure that all the communicators across the state are ready to communicate well to each of our customers,” he said.
Jones, who was in Dallas on Friday for an energy forum, told WFAA the foundation of the preparation has been to improve weatherization on equipment.
Still, ERCOT is predicting record levels of demand for electricity during this week’s cold weather.
ERCOT projects 73 gigawatts of demand at 8 a.m. this Friday, WFAA reported. Prior to 2021, statewide demand never surpassed 67 gigawatts. If the Texas electrical grid had stayed on through last February’s storm, its estimated demand would have reached 77 gigawatts.
Tips to prepare for cold weather
Ahead of the winter weather, MedStar released tips for preparing for cold weather, which include:
- Keeping important phone numbers, including health care providers, pharmacy, and veterinarian, on hand.
- Ensure you have enough medication for several days.
- Have a back-up power source on hand, such as a generator or battery pack, for medical devices along with back-up oxygen containers if needed.
- Gather supplies in case you need to stay home for several days without power.
More: With cold weather returning to Texas, here’s how to prepare for a freeze, power outage
A spokesperson for natural gas company Atmos Energy said the company is prepared to deliver natural gas to customers all year long.
Atmos Energy also recommended some ways to manage energy bills and reduce usage, such as lowering water heater temperature to 120 degrees. According to the company, water heating can consist of 25% of consumed household energy.
For homes with fireplaces, close fireplace dampers when a fire is not lit to prevent warm, indoor air from escaping to the outside. For homes with pools, use a pool pump instead of a pool heater during the coldest part of the day to circulate water and prevent freezing.
Warming stations
Kristen O’Hare, spokesperson with the Fort Worth Fire Department’s Office of Emergency Management, said plans for warming stations were still in the works Monday. The office is working to identify locations and staffing.
O’Hare said Fort Worth wants to have warming stations in areas people can get to without driving too far, so planning has been strategic.
This story was originally published January 31, 2022 at 1:42 PM.
