Icy mix and snow will blanket Houston Monday night into Tuesday evening

Dr. Martin Luther King Day:

HOUSTON – For the second year in a row Dr. Martin Luther King Day will start cold! Last year the parade was postponed. As we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King’s life and legacy, winds will make it feel like the upper 20s and 30s throughout the Parade route. While it is cold Monday morning, parade-goers miss the winter precipitation. We’ll start tracking the threat of snow and ice Monday evening.

Winter Storm Warning in Effect Monday Evening:

Both long-range models, the American and European, show an area of low pressure east of South Texas bringing a surge of Gulf moisture into that very cold environment. The cold and moisture will lead to hefty and historic snow accumulations across SE Texas.

Areas from Harris County on the north and east could receive 4 to 6 inches of snow. As you head southeast into Matagorda, snow totals are closer to an inch.

Timeline:

Monday 6 PM: Rain begins to push in from the coast staying above freezing

Tuesday 2 am: Rain transitions to sleet overnight as temperatures fall to freezing

Tuesday 6 am: By sunrise most of SE Texas will begin to snow and it will persist through the morning with the potential for heavy bands to set up.

Tuesday 12 pm: We’ll track more ice and snow has the system slowly starts moving to the east.

Tuesday 6 pm: The storm should be clearing SE Texas but roads will remain snow covered

Wednesday Morning: Then we’re going to track an extremely bitter cold morning after the rain, ice and snow move through our area. Our lows, right now, is at 18 but with the wind chill it will be lower.

How to Prepare:

It is never too late to prep! Bring in your pets, wrap your plants and pipes. Pipes freeze when temperatures fall to the teens. Right now I’m forecasting mid-20s for Houston Tuesday morning. Cover exposed pipes and drain your sprinkler system. There is no harm in winterizing your system.

10-day Forecast:

Next weekend, morning temperatures moderate to the upper 30s, with day time highs in the 50s.