HOUSTON — A hard freeze warning was in effect for areas north of Houston overnight until 9 a.m. Tuesday.
The rest of the day today we will see sunshine for the first time in several days, but it will remain cold with a high of only 49 degrees expected.
A light freeze is expected again Tuesday night into Wednesday morning with temperatures ranging from the upper-20s to low-30s.
The cold temperatures are due to a late season arctic high pressure which moved out of Canada and into the central plains before setting near the Red River. That high will be the provide two things for us: the cold and some much needed sunshine Tuesday and Wednesday.
HOW TO PREPARE FOR FREEZING CONDITIONS
First, this is NOT a pipe bursting freeze. Temperatures below 25 degrees for several hours are required for that and we are currently not forecasting temperatures to dip that low locally.
All budding and sensitive vegetation, plants, flowers, etc will need protecting.
A couple of things to remember:
1. Use cloth material, not plastic to cover plants.
2. The cloth must touch and be anchored to the ground so the wind doesn't take it away.Having the cloth drape the ground will trap any heat coming out of the ground. If the cloth doesn't touch the ground, it'll do little to help.
3. Place a small bowl or bucket of water near the plant under the cloth. As the water in the bowl freezes, it'll release latent heat during the phase change from liquid to solid and that latent heat will also aid in keeping the plant warm.
4. Finally, if you have any christmas lights laying around that aren't LED (or still up? *eyes bulge*) then wrap the plant you wanted protected. The heat from the bulbs will help keep it protected as well.
PETS
Please protect your pets. If you're cold, then they're cold. It is NOT fair to leave them outside in these relatively extreme temperatures. If the animal can't be brought in, place the dog house's entry away from the wind and leave plenty of blankets or hay in the house for them.
Please don't forget your pets.