As for temps, Euro is now saying around 24F, with the GFS around 26F for Houston. Cold, but nothing really out of the ordinary and certainly not historic or anywhere close to record-breaking. Remember, there is very little of a snow pack to our north, so any Arctic air coming south will modify more than normal for this time of year.
Bottom line for me is that I won't be participating in the Houston Bike Club's New Year's Day bike ride this year. Even though I love cold weather this winter, my bike says it doesn't like to be ridden in sub-freezing temps with a strong north wind.

Oh, and as for that winter storm across Texas that the GFS is predicting for the 8th, well, let's wait until that event is 3-4 days away and see if the forecast doesn't change.