Confidence is increasing in the potential for some light wintry precipitation, mainly freezing rain and drizzle, across Southeast Texas. A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for Sunday night and Monday. Though impacts are expected to be relatively minor, they can still create hazardous situations if precautions aren’t taken. In addition to the Winter Weather Advisory, a Wind Chill Advisory will also be in effect from midnight through 9 AM Monday morning. As for marine hazards, a Gale Watch is in effect for late Monday night through Tuesday afternoon
The Winter Weather Advisory has been expanded to include Harris, Fort Bend, Wharton, inland Matagorda, and inland Jackson Counties, and is in effect from 6 pm Sunday to 6 pm Monday.
A Wind Chill Advisory is in effect for portions of Southeast Texas from midnight through 9 AM Monday morning (this will likely be reissued for Monday night and Tuesday night)
A Gale Watch is in effect for the bays and Gulf waters from late Monday night through Tuesday afternoon
A surge of arctic air behind a cold front will result in several cold days this coming week, including bitterly cold temperatures, very low wind chills, and – most pertinent to this email – an opportunity for wintry precipitation Sunday night into Monday. During this time, we are expecting the leading edge of cold air to catch up with the back end of rainfall in the area. The result will be a band of primarily light freezing rain and freezing drizzle Sunday night into Monday. As the colder air deepens late in the night into Monday, we may also see some sleet mix in.
In general, overall accumulation of ice is expected to be fairly light, less than a tenth of an inch across the area. However, even a light glaze of ice is capable of causing dangerous situations if folks do not take precautions, such as drivers on elevated surfaces like bridges and overpasses. To highlight where freezing rain is most likely to have these minor impacts, a winter weather advisory has been issued.
Though the surge of cold, dry air will eventually bring an end to precipitation and icing on Monday, this is only the beginning of several days of wintry conditions. Cold temperatures are expected to last deep into the week, with the coldest conditions expected Monday and Tuesday nights. Further emails will update the situation on the winter weather advisory and provide more details on the expected impact of the very cold temperatures
