Hard freeze warning for Fort Worth & North Texas until Saturday. Here’s what that means.
North Texas is under a hard freeze warning from midnight Friday to 9 a.m. Saturday, the National Weather Service said.
What exactly is a hard freeze is? And how should you prepare?
What is a NWS hard freeze warning?
A hard freeze warning is issued if the temperature is expected to be 28°F or lower for at least three hours.
It usually means that many types of plants and most seasonal vegetation will be killed.
What can you expect?
During the hard freeze, temperatures will drop to the single digits and teens across portions of North Texas, according to the NWS.
“Temperatures will fall between 5 and 10 degrees which may impact unprotected plumbing,” the weather service says.
Where is the hard freeze in effect?
A hard freeze is expected along and west of the line from Bonham and Greenville, to Dallas and Ennis, to Waco and Lampasas.
These are all the counties under the hard freeze warning: Montague, Cooke, Grayson, Fannin, Young, Jack, Wise, Denton, Collin, Hunt, Stephens, Palo Pinto, Parker, Tarrant, Dallas, Rockwall, Eastland, Erath, Hood, Somervell, Johnson, Ellis, Comanche, Mills, Hamilton, Bosque, Hill, Lampasas, Coryell, McLennan, Nocona, Gainesville, Sherman,Denison, Bonham, Graham, Olney, Jacksboro, Decatur, Bridgeport,Carrollton, Denton, Lewisville, Flower Mound, Plano, McKinney,Allen, Frisco, Greenville, Commerce, Breckenridge, Mineral Wells,Weatherford, Briar, Fort Worth, Arlington, Dallas, Rockwall,Heath, Cisco, Eastland, Ranger, Gorman, Stephenville, Dublin,Granbury, Oak Trail Shores, Glen Rose, Cleburne, Burleson,Waxahachie, Ennis, Midlothian, Comanche, De Leon, Goldthwaite,Hamilton, Hico, Clifton, Meridian, Valley Mills, Hillsboro,Lampasas, Copperas Cove, Gatesville, and Waco.
How can you prepare?
“Take steps now to protect not only plumbing but pets from the bitter cold temperatures expected,” the weather service said.
Make sure your outdoor pets have adequate protection from the freezing weather, or bring them indoors.
And take steps to protect tender plants from the cold. If you can move your sensitive plants inside, do so because the freeze will kill them. For other plants, cover them up before the sun sets to help retain heat near the plants.
Hard freeze conditions can damage unprotected plumbing, including sprinklers.
To prevent freezing and bursting of outdoor water pipes, they should be wrapped, drained or allowed to drip slowly. If you have an in-ground sprinkler system, you should shut it off, drain it and cover above-ground pipes to protect them from freezing.
Click here for more on protecting your plants, pets and pipes.
If you’re going to be outside tonight or tomorrow morning, dress warmly with multiple layers. If you have to drive, take extra precautions because roads will remain icy until Saturday afternoon.
This story was originally published February 4, 2022 at 12:26 PM.
