What to expect with the incoming weather and how to prepare

THE WOODLANDS, TX – While it’s not exactly a repeat of ‘Snowpocalypse’ or a forecast of days without power and homes flooded, but this weekend’s weather is still formidable and capable of doing some considerable damage to life and limb (tree limb, that is).

Starting Friday morning, the winds and rains will grow in intensity as the mercury drops. Inconvenient rains all throughout Friday and Saturday will take a more dangerous turn as the temperatures finally drop to freezing and below, and will stay there for 36 hours or so. This afternoon, tonight, and tomorrow are your best bets to prepare.

In short, tonight (Thursday) will see the low temperature at around 58 degrees, with rain building in intensity as the overnight progresses. Friday will be completely cloud-locked with morning showers and a high of 64. Winds wavering between 10 - 15 mph will make the rain even more obnoxious all day. But right around quitting time Friday afternoon, there will be a change in the air that everyone will feel – the temperature, cold index, and dew point will all start to plummet as the humidity remains near 100 percent and the rains intensify.

On Saturday, expect a cool, windy day of nonstop rain, with the clouds dropping an inch or more – nowhere near flood levels, but enough to sop the lawns and roads, which will become outright treacherous come midnight Saturday night into Sunday morning, as the thermometer will finally hit the freezing point of 32 degrees and keep on going until an early Sunday morning low of 25 degrees (and feeling ten degrees even colder thanks to the humidity).

In the good news / bad news department, Sunday morning will see a drop in the precipitation until the morning clouds give way to afternoon sun; however, we won’t get above freezing for the entire day and night. There may be a brief respite of one degree above freezing on Sunday midafternoon, but that would only serve to slightly melt the ice before it refreezes with renewed smoothness.

Sunday night into Monday morning, the mercury will plunge even lower, with a low of 19 degrees and a cold index of 12 degrees – definitely plant-, pipe-, and pet-killing weather if you don’t take precautions. While the clouds and rain will be gone, the sun will basically be providing light not heat until noon-time on Monday, when the thermometer finally crawls back north of the freezing line and settles for a high of 41. By Monday evening, however, we’re back into the freezing temps and a low of 21. The rest of the week looks to be partly cloudy, mainly rainless, and above freezing, but be prepared for a repeat of this weekend next weekend.

You have until later Saturday until it gets too dangerous to wander out, so try preparing and stocking up on what you need between now and then. While it may be too late to grab a portable generator or stock up on pallets of bottled water and toilet paper, the Woodlands Online Weather Team assures you that there’s no need to doomsday prep, but instead simply use some common sense and maintain heightened awareness when it comes to each aspect of the weekend weather.

• Icy Roads – It’s no secret that Texans in general and Woodlanders in particular can’t drive for beans on iced-up roads. Your car needs to be in top steering and braking condition to survive any sojourning outdoors. We suggest you make a quick appointment with Repair One Automotive Repair & Services to have your brakes, headlights, antifreeze levels, and general driveability of your vehicle checked out by professionals.

• Gusting Winds – You can pretty much bet that the winds and building ice will cause not a few tree limbs – and probably trees themselves – to come crashing down. One can only hope that any falling foliage decides to land in the yard or empty street, but there’s always a chance the weather can give your house a skylight you didn’t count on. (Interesting side note: in Texas, typically you and your homeowner’s insurance are responsible for your roof damage even if caused by a neighbor’s tree.) Additionally, while there’s no hail in the forecast, sooner or later your roof could be the victim of ice balls falling in terminal velocity. After the storms have passed, give Tejas Roofing & Contracting a call to check on the continued viability of your roof. They have significant experience dealing with miserly insurance companies as a bonus.

• Falling Rain – Lots of water falling from the sky plus subzero (Celsius) temperatures equals a potentially destroyed lawn. Grass, shrubs, trees, and plants are all in peril without proper protection. While covering your plants (or tenting them with proper heating lamps) can do much to mitigate the damage, chances are your yard won’t be as green and colorful as it was before the ice. That’s when it’s time to have Lawn Ranger Company come out and work their green thumbed magic to get your curb appeal back to maximum.

• Freezing Temps – This is literally the worst weekend for your HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) system to go on the fritz. While most un-air conditioned homes in the heat of summer are survivable with fans and open windows for circulation even when the temps are 20 - 30 degrees warmer, this weekend will see temperatures 50 degrees or more below average, and this poses a true peril to people and pets. While you can, set aside the blankets and space heaters and call Hal Watson Air Conditioning Company right now to do a maintenance check on your heating and ventilation system. It could be a life-saving move.

Naturally, following your common sense and general knowledge will get you through this weekend just fine with proper precautions. Cover your outdoor plants, wrap your exterior pipes, set a sink or two to drip, bring in your pets, and ensure the fridge and pantry are stocked up. If your power goes out, don’t open your freezer; a half-full freezer can last for 48 hours (and a full one for 24 hours) before food starts to spoil, and the typical home freezer’s thermostat is set to zero degrees Fahrenheit (-18 Centigrade), and outside will be nowhere near as cold as that. However, if your fridge dies, as long as it’s colder than 35 or 40 degrees Fahrenheit outside, you can set your refrigeratables outdoors and out of the sunlight until the power comes back on.

Be sure to stay tuned to Woodlands Online for constant and consistent updates on the weather this weekend.