One More Frigid Night on Tap for West Texas

SAN ANGELO – Temperatures across West Texas will again drop into the lower teens Friday night but those blustery north winds have subsided and with them the frigid wind chill values well below zero.  

Friday night, temperatures will drop to around 13 degrees so pets and pipes still need to be protected from the cold.  Look for the weather to warm up a bit on Christmas Eve; temperatures will reach above freezing Saturday afternoon for a brief period followed by another cold night and a significant warmup on Christmas Day. 

The high Saturday will be in the upper 30s for a few hours before dropping back to around 22 degrees Saturday night into early Sunday morning.  

On Christmas Day, look for afternoon temperatures to reach near 50 degrees with warmer days beginning Monday.  

The severe weather watches and warnings expired Friday at noon.  Temperatures bottomed out early Friday morning at 12 degrees with a wind chill of -17.  There were reports of frozen pipes in homes, businesses and apartment complexes across San Angelo but no serious damage was reported. 

There seemed to be at least one large water main break that ran Friday morning that ran water down College Hills Blvd. between Hemlock to Sunset Dr.  The water was gone by late afternoon.  

Across Texas, ERCOT reported no loss of electric generating power.  The grid held.  There were reports of power outages cause by wind damage in North Texas and most customers had power restored Friday.  

Emergency shelters were full in most cities across the state as well.  In San Angelo, the Warming Shelter opened in the Carl Ray Johnson Center by the City of San Angelo and the Red Cross saw over 20 individuals take advantage of the opportunity to get in out of the cold. 

That Warming Shelter is expected to remain open through Christmas Day.  

Residents are advised to continue to let faucets drip Friday night, especially those on exterior walls, and be very careful using fireplaces that haven't been serviced or used recently.  

Be especially careful with outdoor pets.  Temperatures this low can seriously injure or kill dogs unless they have adequate shelter and plenty of food and fresh water.  

Friday night is forecast to be the coldest night for the next ten days and a warming trend is expected beginning Christmas Day.  There is no precipitation in the short or long term forecast.