Cold and stormy Thursday, arctic air on the way

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Arctic air is moving down the Plains, and we are now predicting the coldest February temperatures in 70 years to reach Houston next week.

The leading edge of cold air has already moved through Houston and will push into the Gulf by sunrise. Temperatures will be stuck in the 40s with widespread showers and thunderstorms off-and-on throughout the day. The sky should stay completely cloudy, and we may not see any sunshine until Tuesday of next week.

Will there be any severe weather or flooding on Thursday?

We don’t expect any thunderstorms to turn severe Thursday because the air will be too cold. It is possible there could be some minor street flooding with over 1″ possible in the heavier thunderstorms.

When will we be impacted by arctic air?

At this time we predict the arctic air will likely hold off until the weekend and arrive sometime on Valentine’s Day. That’s when freezing temperatures could reach neighborhoods north of I-10, but even colder air is expected for Presidents Day and Tuesday of next week. It’s now looking more likely that a hard freeze will occur next Monday night and Tuesday morning. A hard freeze occurs when temperatures reach 24 degrees or colder for at least two hours, putting pipes in jeopardy of freezing up and even bursting. If you are a gardener, hold off on putting any plants into the ground, and if you’ve already planted cold sensitive plants, be prepared to protect them by the weekend. We are currently predicting a low of 17 degrees, and that number could go down depending on how much ice or snow is on the ground.

Are we going to get ice or snow?

It’s looking more likely that a major winter storm could blow through on Presidents Day. Freezing rain, sleet, and snow will all be possible. It’s too soon to get specific on the details, so stay tune