School districts have begun announcing Monday closures and the city is making its 311 line available around the clock this weekend. Here’s what we’re following.
SAN ANTONIO — The weather is doing its best this weekend to remind us that the Christmas season in San Antonio was a fairly tropical one.
Frigid temperatures, along with the potential for frozen precipitation and ice accumulation on roads, are clamping down on South-Central Texas. Most of the San Antonio region is now under a Winter Storm Warning until noon Sunday, and various Alamo City attractions from the Alamo to the zoo are adjusting their operating hours or closing for the weekend outright.
Many local school districts have also begun to announce closures for Monday, a precaution in case icy conditions linger.
Here are the latest updates from around the region as Texas shelters and local leaders share their latest plans. For the most up-to-date information on the storm, click here.
5 p.m.
City of San Antonio officials say they are extending its operating hours for the 311 phone line to 24 hours through Monday, in order to make it easier for residents to connect with resources like warming locations and transportation.
Six city-operated resiliency hubs with shelter, access to power and basic needs are in operation; Bexar County is operating five warming shelters of its own. See the map here.
4 p.m.
Northside, San Antonio, North East ISDs and other San Antonio-area districts begin to announce Monday closures, citing the potential for hazardous icy conditions. Click here for the full rundown of local school closings.
2:30 p.m.
An Ice Storm Warning is in effect until noon Sunday for parts of the Hill Country and region north of Bexar County, according to the National Weather Service. These areas can expect a quarter-inch of ice accumulation on roads, with some areas seeing up to a half-inch of ice. The NWS is warning residents in the impacted area to stay home if possible.
12:45 p.m.
Hours before the Winter Storm Warning was set to begin in San Antonio, a drive through the heart of the city showed residents weren’t taking chances with travel.
9:30 a.m.
City of San Antonio officials urged residents Saturday to prepare for freezing rain and icy conditions expected Saturday night into Sunday morning, outlining a multi-agency response aimed at keeping residents safe as a winter weather threat sweeps across Texas and into the Midwest and Southeast regions of the country.
Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones said the city has already treated roads, activated city departments and coordinated with utilities and transportation agencies ahead of the storm. She also encouraged residents to monitor updates at SA.gov/coldweather and repeatedly emphasized that limiting travel will be critical as freezing rain develops.
“If you don’t need to travel over the next 48 hours, please minimize that,” Jones said. “Not only to be able to ensure that our first responders can respond to issues in the community, but there’s going to be work ongoing as roads are treated.”
This is a developing story.