Texas Winter 2013-2014

[TeamPlayersBlue]

Highway 71 just out of outside of Westpoint is now shut down I have to turn around and I'm headed back to Austin. I don't want to be dramatic as I'm not the type, but I just had my first Wigle on a bridge. Everyone is going no more than 30 miles an hour. I'll update in austin

[ravyrn]

Freezing drizzle in Jacksonville. Accumulations on elevated surfaces. Ground still wet, and not frozen though.

[TheProfessor]

OK, so here in the northern half of dew ( at least in my area) there is still a lot of sleet and ice still on the ground. The high tomorrow is expected to only be 33 or 34 degrees. Which means slow melting if any and melted sleet will refreeze. If we have even 75% of the ice we have now on Monday than I don't think are highs are going to get above 35 degrees. So if we don't get the ALL Ice melted until Thursday keeping the temperatures sub 40. Than could the next storm system become a big time winter storm for this area because of lower temperatures than predicted. If that happened then hopefully it would be SNOWMAGEDDON instead of ICEMAGEDDON.

[Portastorm]

Highway 71 just out of outside of Westpoint is now shut down I have to turn around and I'm headed back to Austin. I don't want to be dramatic as I'm not the type, but I just had my first Wigle on a bridge. Everyone is going no more than 30 miles an hour. I'll update in austin

Probably a good call, TeamPlayersBlue. Be safe coming back as things here in town are getting a bit dicier as well. Safe travels.

[Texas Snowman]

I'm guessing there is a free lunch from Wxman57 in this tweet?

@TxStormChasers: RT @Austin_Police: Many Austin roads are beginning to get icy. Avoid bridges and over passes. #txwx #ctxwx

[South Texas Storms]

Are there any reports of freezing drizzle in San Antonio? My parents are at a Christmas party and they want to know if the roads are getting icy there.

Here in College Station we are definitely getting some light freezing rain. My grill outside already has a thin layer of ice on it.

[katheria]

Be safe Teamplayerblue...take it nice and slow....wigies are not fun..........

[TeamPlayersBlue]

Something else to know, the temperature in my car now reached 45° as I'm going back to Austin before it was 2829 constantly.

[Portastorm]

I'm guessing there is a free lunch from Wxman57 in this tweet?

@TxStormChasers: RT @Austin_Police: Many Austin roads are beginning to get icy. Avoid bridges and over passes. #txwx #ctxwx

Yeah ... that's right! I knew those meteograms were on crack.

Where is he tonight? I want my free lunch.

[Portastorm]

STS, I haven't seen or heard anything reports of icing in San Antonio. So far so good there.

Be careful in Aggieland. I'm seeing reports of numerous accidents there due to icing.

[Ntxw]

I'm guessing there is a free lunch from Wxman57 in this tweet?

@TxStormChasers: RT @Austin_Police: Many Austin roads are beginning to get icy. Avoid bridges and over passes. #txwx #ctxwx

Yeah ... that's right! I knew those meteograms were on crack.

Where is he tonight? I want my free lunch.

Not yet, need power outages and impassable surface roads in Austin proper. He did say bridges and over passes could get dicey.

I'm still not seeing a significant freezing rain event in Austin (heart of the city, not communities to the north). I think there will be some freezing rain in the city but probably not enough to cause trees or tree limbs to fall on power lines and cause significant power outages. There could be some ice on elevated bridges in the city, too. Go 30-50 miles north of the center of Austin and that may be a different story as far as potential power outages and ice on surface roads. I think it'll be close, but the worst conditions will stay north of downtown Austin. And if I'm wrong, I'll buy Portastorm lunch next time I'm over there.

Good trend though! I'm not sure if that was for the first event or this one

[downsouthman1]

Something else to know, the temperature in my car now reached 45° as I'm going back to Austin before it was 2829 constantly.

That's obviously not the true outside temp. There's no way it's that warm anywhere around there.

[ndale]

Just went out to the driveway and our car's windshield is covered with a thin sheet of ice. Drizzle is very light at the moment.

[Portastorm]

25-car pileup on Ed Bluestein Blvd. in east central Austin. APD now asking people firmly through social media to "stay off the roads."

[Texas Snowman]

@statesman: MT @Austin_Police: Officers working at least 10 crashes and trying to get to 10 more. One crash was fatal. Avoid driving if possible.

[katheria]

ouch not good...everyone down there stay safe!

[srainhoutx]

Update from Jeff:
NWS has issued a Winter Weather Advisory until 600am Sunday morning for the following counties:

 

Brazos, Grimes, Austin, Washington, Colorado, and Burleson

 

Temperatures this evening have cooled below freezing and light rain/drizzle is being reported across these areas resulting in light freezing rain and drizzle. College Station has reported light freezing rain and 30 degrees in the last hour and law enforcement has indicated a thin layer of ice on bridges along I-10 west of Columbus. Even have had ice resulting accidents just north of Victoria this evening. The temperatures having only reached 32-34 degrees over these counties this afternoon, pavement has cooled to near freezing and ice formation on bridges and overpasses will be possible tonight. Expect ice accumulations to be less than .05 of an inch and more likely in the trace to .01 of an inch range, but even a very thin layer of ice on a bridge can be extremely dangerous especially when the bridge looks dry. Residents should exercise extreme caution on any bridges and overpasses in the advisory area tonight into early Sunday morning.

Temperatures in Harris County remain in the 34-37 range and will only cool a couple of degrees tonight. Do not expect any ice formation in Harris County.

Temperatures will warm above freezing after sunrise on Sunday with any ice accumulation quickly melting.

[downsouthman1]

00Z GFS also jumping onto the late Monday-early Tuesday southern precip event. I call it precip because the temps may be questionable.

[ravyrn]

00Z GFS also jumping onto the late Monday-early Tuesday southern precip event. I call it precip because the temps may be questionable.

Yeah, temps will certainly be of value. I just did 4 meteograms for some family members trying to make it home just north of Dallas. 18z GFS says there will be a period of 36-39 temps tomorrow for much of the metroplex. Hopefully some time to thaw out tomorrow afternoon, though roads would be treacherous again Monday morning as temps dip back below freezing w/ melted moisture on the roads still.

[TrekkerCC]

00Z GFS also jumping onto the late Monday-early Tuesday southern precip event. I call it precip because the temps may be questionable.

Yeah, temps will certainly be of value. I just did 4 meteograms for some family members trying to make it home just north of Dallas. 18z GFS says there will be a period of 36-39 temps tomorrow for much of the metroplex. Hopefully some time to thaw out tomorrow afternoon, though roads would be treacherous again Monday morning as temps dip back below freezing w/ melted moisture on the roads still.

ravyn, I just don't buy the 36 to 39F temperatures in DFW. GFS (and other models) likes to erode the arctic cold dome very much too quickly in the past and it might be doing the same thing here. I expect temperatures to approach freezing, maybe get slightly above freezing, but not enough to significantly melt the ice on Sunday. We have a substantial ice pack that has not eroded due to our cold temperatures that should keep a check on the temperatures. Plus we have another arctic air intrusion coming from the north on Monday. I expect we should be very cold for much of next week.