Texas Winter 2024-2025

[Ntxw]

https://i.ibb.co/hMhTmGJ/IMG-0163.gif

https://i.ibb.co/vkZLBr6/IMG-0164.png

That wall north of Houston could fail.

[Iceresistance]

I am sure everyone's method on preventing their water from freezing is different

Mine is just getting the space heaters and turn them on inside the well house. Usually one does the trick, but if the cold gets below zero (or expected to), we get two in there. Just don't get them too close to the plastic pipes or they will melt the pipes and burst the water out of the pipes.

Did that in February 2021 with no problems

[JayDT]

https://i.ibb.co/hMhTmGJ/IMG-0163.gif

https://i.ibb.co/vkZLBr6/IMG-0164.png

well thats definitely a cold outlook

[Quicksilver17]

Are you seeing any type of chance that this becomes a 2021 type event anywhere in Texas?

Temperatures don't look nearly as cold as 2021, and the precipitation not as heavy and confined to the southern part of the state where there will be more moisture.

At what temps would you decide to shut off water to the house?

I think everyone would have a different say. I plan on inserting a handwarmer in what I cover my spigots with overnight when it is the coldest. Just depends on the duration and drop in temp before I resort to turning off at the main and having a tub full of water for toilet flushes. I also have my backflow preventor wrapped all snug so no issues there even with it winterized.

[Iceresistance]

https://i.ibb.co/hMhTmGJ/IMG-0163.gif

https://i.ibb.co/vkZLBr6/IMG-0164.png

Alaska Torch, classic -EPO pattern

[bubba hotep]

12z Euro EPS mean takes DFW below freezing sometime on Sunday and keeps it there until Wednesday afternoon. Depending on the exact timing, it could be close to 4 days below freezing.

[Brandon8181]

Update for me. 00z Euro showed -17 Sunday am, -18 Monday am for my location.

Love that app. For browsing this forum and for reading models I still generally use my laptop as I am not a fan of Tapatalk etc., but man, that is a nice app.

Exciting to see some trends toward colder and wetter, but for the northern areas probably a small amount even with higher ratios.

Also, we should remember past events where the QPF shield starts off huge and then "shrinks" as we get closer, especially with a likely Gulf low.

What app?

[opticsguy]

Temperatures don't look nearly as cold as 2021, and the precipitation not as heavy and confined to the southern part of the state where there will be more moisture.

At what temps would you decide to shut off water to the house?

I think everyone would have a different say. I plan on inserting a handwarmer in what I cover my spigots with overnight when it is the coldest. Just depends on the duration and drop in temp before I resort to turning off at the main and having a tub full of water for toilet flushes. I also have my backflow preventor wrapped all snug so no issues there even with it winterized.

McKinney code has backflow preventers on exterior faucets. After about a year they stop draining and keep the "frost free" hose bib full of water. We didn't notice ours burst until we decided to wash the car in April and water started coming out of the wall. They can be removed, sometimes. They seem to weld themselves on to the faucet.

[HockeyTx82]

https://i.ibb.co/hMhTmGJ/IMG-0163.gif

https://i.ibb.co/vkZLBr6/IMG-0164.png

well thats definitely a cold outlook

I once remember a meteorologist say the colors don't mean anything, it just means below normal but doesn't indicate temperature.

[Brandon8181]

@RalphsWeather? Where are you?

[3090]

The low would have to reach the upper teens to lower 20s if we're talking above-freezing by noon. If the temperature would be 30F or lower for 24 hours, I'd shut it off. Our pipes are in the attic and they're not extremely well insulated. Temperature in the attic may be a degree or two warmer than outside air, though.

insulation.
You run your faucets with a pencil lead like thin stream. Got to keep the water moving is the key. Shutting off the water will cause freezing of the piping system and will only make things worse upstream of your home where the water enters your home. Yes, this can possibly become a strain on the municipal water system if every homeowner does not adhere to a pencil lead thin stream. It is a fine line to adhere to. Everyone has to make their own call.

First of all, don't just shut off the water, open all faucets and drain the water out of the lines. Leave the faucets open. That way, there can be no burst pipes. Second, running a thin stream of water SOUNDS like a good idea, until everyone else does the same thing and that thin stream shuts off in the middle of the night due to low water pressure. Upstream folks would not be impacted if you shut off your water, only if you let it run (they'll get lower pressure). I also have insulation that I put on faucet bibs and exposed piping.

That is why I said each person has to decide for themselves. There is no sure fire best solution. It is all just a chance each person takes to spare thenselves the misery of having no water and or busted water lines. The insulated faucet bibs are def. a must do! If there are none available due to the rush on same, you can take a coffee can or other cylinder like container and cut both ends out. Hold it in place over the faucet and use Spray Foam inside of it to encapsulate the bib. Be sure to cut a slit down one side of the can to be able to slip it entirely over the bib all the way to the exterior facade of the house. Then get some Spray Foam and fill it up. Or just go to a local pool store and get some noodles and custom fit the bib the best way you can with some electrical tape to wrap and seal the noodle foam around the bib and the incoming pipe to grade. Best believe everyone and their family, friends (other) are going to make a run to the big box stores for the typical foam.

[rwfromkansas]

Update for me. 00z Euro showed -17 Sunday am, -18 Monday am for my location.

Love that app. For browsing this forum and for reading models I still generally use my laptop as I am not a fan of Tapatalk etc., but man, that is a nice app.

Exciting to see some trends toward colder and wetter, but for the northern areas probably a small amount even with higher ratios.

Also, we should remember past events where the QPF shield starts off huge and then "shrinks" as we get closer, especially with a likely Gulf low.

What app?

Team mentioned the LuckGrib app for seeing raw temp outputs for locations in model forecasts.

[cheezyWXguy]

The low would have to reach the upper teens to lower 20s if we're talking above-freezing by noon. If the temperature would be 30F or lower for 24 hours, I'd shut it off. Our pipes are in the attic and they're not extremely well insulated. Temperature in the attic may be a degree or two warmer than outside air, though.

You run your faucets with a pencil lead like thin stream. Got to keep the water moving is the key. Shutting off the water will cause freezing of the piping system and will only make things worse upstream of your home where the water enters your home. Yes, this can possibly become a strain on the municipal water system if every homeowner does not adhere to a pencil lead thin stream. It is a fine line to adhere to. Everyone has to make their own call.

First of all, don't just shut off the water, open all faucets and drain the water out of the lines. Leave the faucets open. That way, there can be no burst pipes. Second, running a thin stream of water SOUNDS like a good idea, until everyone else does the same thing and that thin stream shuts off in the middle of the night due to low water pressure. Upstream folks would not be impacted if you shut off your water, only if you let it run (they'll get lower pressure). I also have insulation that I put on faucet bibs and exposed piping.

You clearly have a lot of knowledge on this preparedness measures. Can you or one of the other mods sticky this info so it doesn’t get lost to the hundreds of pages of this thread? I’m sure it would be useful for the newcomers or less frequent posters.

[jasons2k]

One of the best decisions I made was to install a shutoff valve and then quick connects on both sides of my sprinkler backflow so I can remove it in less than a minute when a freeze is coming.

My sprinkler backflow is now sitting comfortably inside my garage on a shelf.

“Frost free” faucet backflows typically have a screw that’s designed to break off the top once tightened down so you can’t remove it from the faucet. Well that’s a pain because as someone pointed out, then your faucet is only as good as the backflow, and those go out. I replaced my exterior faucets and I use backflows, but I took the screws out so I can remove the backflows and cover my faucets when a freeze comes.

Get ready folks, the Ice Man cometh

[rwfromkansas]

For pipes, I will say the only thing I did here in DFW during the cold snap in 2021 was put a heater by the sink since it is close to the exterior wall and drip the faucets (well, a narrow stream...I didn't trust some little drip). It was fine. But, we never lost power, likely due to being on the same grid as BNSF. If the house got cold, I would be worried about the attic, so I would have shut the water off then.

[TeamPlayersBlue]

I am sure everyone's method on preventing their water from freezing is different

Mine is just getting the space heaters and turn them on inside the well house. Usually one does the trick, but if the cold gets below zero (or expected to), we get two in there. Just don't get them too close to the plastic pipes or they will melt the pipes and burst the water out of the pipes.

Did that in February 2021 with no problems

The sprinkler systems main valve was extended a couple feet above the ground in Sugar Land. I used to take the bags amazon prime food delivery would give me, stack a few of them over and around the pipes. Great use for insulation.

[Throckmorton]

At what temps would you decide to shut off water to the house?

I think everyone would have a different say. I plan on inserting a handwarmer in what I cover my spigots with overnight when it is the coldest. Just depends on the duration and drop in temp before I resort to turning off at the main and having a tub full of water for toilet flushes. I also have my backflow preventor wrapped all snug so no issues there even with it winterized.

McKinney code has backflow preventers on exterior faucets. After about a year they stop draining and keep the "frost free" hose bib full of water. We didn't notice ours burst until we decided to wash the car in April and water started coming out of the wall. They can be removed, sometimes. They seem to weld themselves on to the faucet.

You have to drill out the screw if that's preventing removal.

[Throckmorton]

The low would have to reach the upper teens to lower 20s if we're talking above-freezing by noon. If the temperature would be 30F or lower for 24 hours, I'd shut it off. Our pipes are in the attic and they're not extremely well insulated. Temperature in the attic may be a degree or two warmer than outside air, though.

Why not just drip all faucets instead?

Do you have any thoughts or experience with new builds in relation to outside temperatures in extremes? On our home, which is foam, it appears that the attic temperature is around 10 degrees warmer or cooler, but I wonder how it performs in extreme conditions.

Put a remote thermometer in your attic to see. My attic is +10-15 in summer and +15-30 in winter. No pipes up there. Built in 1970. No busted pipes during the last 19 years of living there. Always drip faucets, hot and cold. Never shut off water to the house. YMMV.

[Ralph's Weather]

@RalphsWeather? Where are you?

I am watching it. Its gonna get cold that much is very clear. If we can get some snow on the ground which seems possible then we could see temps bottom out next week in the 5-15F range. I don't foresee the -8F from 4 years ago but we could see highs in the low 20Fs. Any snow this far north looks to be powder. Seems like the 2nd storm of 2/21 is a reasonable approximation.

[Tireman4]

From the HGX NWS


Clouds and rain chances
are expected to increase over parts of the area late Friday into
Saturday ahead of this front, with some clearing behind the front
into Sunday afternoon. This will usher in an initial surge of cold
air with freezing temperatures returning into our northern
counties from the Brazos Valley into the Piney Woods. While cold,
this surge may be similar to the cold front last week. The coldest
air of the season is still expected to push across TX Monday into
Tuesday. This is when the forecast gets quite tricky trying to
pin down the magnitude of this cold air, as well as the chances of
seeing snow or sleet/freezing rain behind this reinforcing front.
I would not advice zeroing in on a single forecast model, or
model run, but to think in terms of uncertainty. This far out we
will keep close to the mean NBM values for now. However the temps
could very well keep trending colder as the NBM members begin to
coalesce over the coming days. Currently, more certain of a hard
freeze north of i10, although the 25th percentile min temps from
the nbm bring a hard freeze down to the coast Tuesday morning.

There remains quite a a bit of uncertainty regarding wintery
precipitation late Monday and Tuesday as a fast moving system
overspreads the western Gulf of Mexico. This could bring
sufficient ascent and moisture over southeast TX for some
snow/light icing. This energy and associated surface low could
also stay well into the Gulf of Mexico with mostly dry and cold
conditions across our area. The NBM deterministic guidance does
have some mention in the forecast, so will opt to leave those in
play for now. However, this can all change- and probably will!