San Antonio has rarely gone deeper into the winter season without a freeze than this year.
SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio residents have spent most of this unseasonably warm winter sticking to their light sweaters while the heavier jackets keep to the closet collecting dust. But it might finally be time to pull them out: The Alamo City’s first freeze of the season is expected to arrive Sunday night.
It’ll be a light freeze, but a freeze nonetheless with temperatures expected to fall into the upper-20s that night, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). The coldest we’ve gotten so far this winter so far: 34, back on Dec. 9.
As for the first two weeks of January, the average low in San Antonio so far is 49 degrees, much warmer than the historical monthly low of 41. And the mercury has pushed higher in the afternoons, to the tune of an average high of 73–that’s 10 degrees higher than where it historically stops for the city this month.
This is already among the latest San Antonio has ever gone without its first freeze of the season, according to NWS records. Only three times before has the city hit 32 degrees for the first time after Jan. 12; the last time was 2016, when we made it to Jan. 23 without a freeze.
Parts of the Hill Country, meanwhile, will wake up to even colder conditions that morning. Here’s what cities around the region can expect for lows Sunday morning:
- San Antonio: 29 degrees
- New Braunfels: 26
- Karnes City: 27
- Gonzales: 27
- Fredericksburg: 25
- Hondo: 25
- Eagle Pass: 25
- Pearsall: 25
- Carrizo Springs: 25
- Uvalde: 24
- Rocksprings: 24
- Kerrville: 22
How to prepare for the cold
There are steps residents in the impacted counties can take Tuesday evening to avoid waking up to dead plants or busted pipes.
The key thing is to remember to “protect the four Ps.” That refers to pets, pipes, plants and people.
Here are some tips, courtesy of the NWS:
- Winterize your home. Insulate outdoor pipes (Whataburger cups, or other Styrofoam cups, are a great option), open up your indoor cabinets so they’re getting warmer air, and caulk your windows.
- Look out for vulnerable relatives or neighbors, especially the elderly. Prepare for possible power outages by getting an emergency kit together; make sure it includes a flashlight. Keep your phones charges for weather updates.
- Know the temperature thresholds of your outdoor plants, and cover them ahead of Wednesday morning if you have to.
- Bring your pets inside so they’re not susceptible to dangerous cold. Ensure their water doesn’t freeze up.
Looking ahead
The start of next week will see lows bouncing right back into the upper-30s, with chilly but not unbearably cold conditions expected under partly sunny skies for Monday’s MLK Day March.
Morning lows will mostly stick around in the mid-to-upper-40s next week, with afternoon highs ranging from 56 to 66 degrees depending on the day. Long story short: We might have to wait awhile until our second freeze of the season after Sunday.
