HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A strong Arctic cold front will sweep across Texas Thursday and bring windy weather and a quick drop in temperatures Thursday evening. Freezing temperatures are likely Thursday night. The very cold weather will continue through Christmas.
Due to that, Weather Alert Days have been declared for this coming Thursday and Friday.
Will the weather warm up before the Arctic front arrives?
Not too much. We should see temperatures near 50 degrees Tuesday afternoon. We might briefly climb into the 60s Thursday just before the cold front arrives.
When will the Arctic front get here and how quickly will temperatures drop?
The front will arrive on Thursday, Dec. 22. Temperatures will likely fall 20 to 30 degrees colder behind the front within one or two hours. Temperatures could fall into the 20s by 9:00 p.m. Thursday.
Dangerous wind chills are also expected, deepening the seriousness of the conditions ahead.
Are we expecting a hard freeze or any frozen precipitation with the arctic front?
The chances for any snow or ice look very close to zero percent through the weekend. A hard freeze (temperatures below 24 degrees for more than two hours) is likely in most of the area Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings. In fact, Friday may stay below 32 degrees all day. For Christmas Day, we are calling for it to be among the top-three coldest Christmas mornings in Houston’s recorded history. If you have plans to leave town for the holiday, you might consider winterizing your home by shutting off your water and draining your pipes before you leave just in case we do end up with a hard, pipe-bursting freeze.
