TEXAS, USA — An arctic blast this Saturday will bring some of the coldest temperatures of the season to West Texas. The National Weather Service (NWS) in San Angelo is anticipating 'bitterly cold' temperatures with an arctic cold front coming to West Central Texas.
A very strong cold front will arrive Saturday afternoon/early evening in the Big Country and Saturday night/Sunday morning for folks in the Concho Valley. Once the cold front arrives in your location you'll be able to tell because of the sharp temperature drop and the northerly winds.
I am still monitoring a relatively small chance for wintry mix in the eastern portion of our viewing area, but the main impact of this arctic blast definitely looks to be the very cold temperatures. If any freezing rain or snow does fall across the viewing the area we could see some ice on bridges and overpasses, but I am not expecting widespread travel delays across the area.
As of now, the greatest threat for ice on the roads looks to be toward our east in the Hill Country and cities like Austin. I'll keep an eye on the situation this weekend as it develops.
The timing of the cold front will really impact how high of a temperature we'll hit on Saturday. After the cold front arrives we may not get above freezing until Wednesday. We have had periods below freezing longer than this both in the Concho Valley and the Big Country, but it is still something to take seriously.
The thermometers are going to record very cold temperatures this weekend into next week, and thanks to the north wind it will feel even chillier. We are expecting very cold wind chill values this weekend and Monday and Tuesday morning as well.
If you have not already, you will definitely want to take Friday and Saturday to prepare to dress warm, keep your pets warm, take your plants indoor, and cover any outdoor exposed pipes. These kinds of cold temperatures are not unheard of for West Central Texas, but it is important to take precaution.
Be sure to keep it here at FOX West Texas for the latest weather information, and to stay safe with the cold temperatures.