Freezing temperatures moving back into Houston, leading to icy road conditions

HOUSTON – 9:00 PM UPDATE

Freezing temperatures are making their way back into the Houston area.

This is leading to icy road conditions and Houston Police say multiple crashes have been reported across the city and on the freeways.

It will only continue to get colder through the night and into Wednesday morning.

If you can stay off the roads, it is highly suggested you do until road conditions begin to improve tomorrow afternoon.

7:00 PM UPDATE

Houston is experiencing rare snowfall, with Baytown topping the charts at 5.5 inches and Southeast Houston seeing 4 inches. Even Bush Intercontinental Airport got 1.2 inches!

While the snowstorm moved on to Louisiana, bringing record totals of up to 10 inches there, Houston’s focus shifted to bitterly cold temperatures overnight, dropping into the teens. These freezing conditions pose a risk for pipe bursts, so take precautions.

The good news? A warm-up starts Wednesday, with highs reaching the mid-40s and climbing to the 50s by the weekend. Expect milder mornings and a chance of rain early next week as we ease out of this winter chill.

5:00 PM UPDATE

County Judge Lina Hidalgo has praised the community for staying off the roads, which has limited accidents, though the risk remains as ice worsens. Officials warn of frozen pipes and fire hazards from space heaters, and 23 warming centers have been opened for those in need. Residents are urged to stay indoors and take precautions for pets, plants, and pipes as temperatures continue to drop.

4:30 PM UPDATE

Houston’s airports will reopen Wednesday morning after being temporarily closed due to winter storms and snow. The Houston Airport System confirmed the news to KPRC 2. George Bush Intercontinental Airport and William P. Hobby Airport were both shut down at midnight Tuesday as the city prepared for challenging weather conditions. Travelers can expect operations to resume Wednesday morning.

2:15 PM UPDATE

The snowfall has officially moved out of the Houston area, leaving totals between 3.2 and 5.5 inches across the region. Temperatures are now above freezing, but the slush and water from the melting snow will refreeze tonight, leading to icy conditions into Wednesday morning.

Stay cautious if you’re heading out this evening or early tomorrow—slick spots are likely, especially on untreated roads and walkways.

1:30 PM UPDATE

The sun is starting to peek out, and snow is beginning to melt across the Houston area. If you’re heading outside, be sure to bundle up—it’s cold out there! Snowfall totals range from 2 to 4 inches, but as the snow moves out, expect icy conditions to develop overnight into Wednesday.

Temperatures today will stay in the mid to low 30s, but with the wind, it feels more like the 20s. Stay warm and be cautious of slick roads as refreezing occurs tonight

NOON UPDATE

Sunshine is starting to break through across parts of the region, bringing brief warming this afternoon, but highs will still struggle to climb above the mid-30s. Snowfall has largely moved out of the area, but any slush or melted snow will quickly refreeze tonight as temperatures drop into the teens, making roads hazardous. While conditions will improve later this week with highs reaching the 40s and 50s, icy spots could persist, especially overnight. If you’re heading out today, plan to return before sunset to avoid slick conditions that will worsen after dark.

11:11 AM UPDATE

Snow flurries are coming down in parts of the Houston area, with a Winter Storm Warning and Cold Weather Advisory in effect until 6 p.m. today. Starting at 6 p.m., an Extreme Cold Watch will take over and last through 9 a.m. Wednesday.

This afternoon, enjoy a brief break in the weather, but be prepared for a quick refreeze once the sun goes down. The Houston area has already received a tremendous amount of snow, with a few more inches expected to ice over tonight. Drivers should remain cautious of slushy roads and slick conditions.

9:20 A.M. UPDATE

Snow bands are still coming down across the Houston area, with a Winter Storm Warning in effect until 6 p.m. Tuesday. A Cold Weather Advisory also remains in place through 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Starting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, an Extreme Cold Watch will begin and last until 9 a.m. Wednesday.

Drivers, be cautious of slushy roads and slick conditions—stay safe out there!

8:45 A.M. UPDATE

Snow continues to pile up in the northwest and southeast areas over the next 2-3 hours, while the northside of Houston is starting to see a break.

Light snow showers are still expected to linger over the Houston Metro area for a bit longer.

Stay warm and cautious if you’re out and about!

7:32 A.M. UPDATE

We’re seeing heavy snow and ice continuing through Tuesday morning. Northern counties are getting a bit of a break, but the east side is starting piling up with snow.

The snow should start tapering off around 11 a.m. to noon.

Highs today will hit about 34 degrees, but with temperatures dropping fast this evening, things will refreeze pretty quickly

6:20 A.M. UPDATE

Snow continues to come down across Southeast Texas and most of the area has seen the sleet transition to snow.

The only exception to this is in coastal areas such as Galveston where a wintry mix continues. We are expecting this to completely change over to snow soon.

Winter precipitation should continue for the next 4-5 hours before the system moves off to the east.

5 A.M. UPDATE

Snow is really starting to come down in parts of the Houston area and our friends to the east even have a Blizzard Warning in effect.

A Blizzard Warning is in effect from Jefferson County eastward into Louisiana. Jefferson County is the county where Beaumont and Port Arthur is. This is an extremely rare warning to get for this part of the country. The National Weather Service in Lake Charles, which handles warnings for that area, says it is the first time they have ever issued a Blizzard Warning for Jefferson and Orange counties, as well as other parishes in Louisiana.

In this area, the combination of heavy snow and strong winds will lead to blizzard conditions. Visibilities may drop below 1/4 mile due to falling and blowing snow.

While Houston isn’t under a Blizzard Warning, we are still seeing decent snowfall across parts of the area. Definitely avoid getting on the roads if at all possible.

4 A.M. UPDATE

We’ve got snow and sleet mixing, but Meteorologist Justin Stapleton explains how we’re continuing to see heavier snow coming down the coast.

3:45 A.M. UPDATE

Sleet continues to change over to snow across Southeast Texas.

We know for sure the transition line is moving south because for several hours we only were seeing sleet here at the KPRC 2 studios in Southwest Houston. Just in the last 20-30 minutes, that has fully changed over to snow.

As the low approaches, we are expecting snowfall rates to continue to increase.

2:30 A.M. UPDATE

Sleet and snow continues to fall across Southeast Texas.

We are starting to see the temperatures of the roads fall to or below freezing. This means we could start seeing more accumulation of sleet and snow on the roadways and lead to more hazardous travel conditions. It is highly suggested that you stay off the roads if possible.

We are expecting the sleet to continue to change over to snow and this precipitation should last until the late morning hours.

1:30 A.M. UPDATE

We continue to see sleet change over to snow across Southeast Texas.

The graphic above shows estimated snowfall totals for the past three hours. Keep in mind, these are radar estimated totals. You can see some areas north of Houston, like in Montgomery and Walker counties, have seen snowfall estimates of 1-2 inches.

1 A.M. UPDATE

KPRC 2 Chief Meteorologist Anthony Yanez gives an update on winter weather moving into Southeast Texas and when we expect the snow to start accumulating.

12:30 A.M. UPDATE

As of 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, it appears that all precipitation falling north of I-10 in Houston is falling in the form of snow. South of I-10, we continue to see a wintry mix or a cold rain along the coast.

Where it is snowing, we are seeing accumulations in grassy areas. The road temperatures appear to be just above freezing in many areas, meaning we aren’t seeing a lot of accumulation on the roads right now. The longer it snows though, we expect the roads will start to become treacherous over the next several hours.

KPRC 2 Chief Meteorologist Anthony Yanez is giving updates every half hour on the KPRC 2+ livestream. Here is his latest update.

11:20 P.M. UPDATE

We are seeing sleet and snow in many parts of the Houston area as of 11:20 p.m. Monday. Most of the northern parts of the area have already seen sleet transition to snow.

Here at the KPRC 2 studios in Southwest Houston, we are still seeing sleet. That should change over soon.

We expect pretty much the entire area to see a changeover to snow by morning. Depending on where the heaviest bands set up, some areas could see a significant amount of snow. By the end of this event, a few areas could see between 4-6 inches of snow.

Winter Storm Warning in Effect Starting Tonight:

We’re tracking an area of low pressure east of South Texas bringing a surge of Gulf moisture into our very cold environment. This is why a winter storm warning is in place starting tonight and lasting through Tuesday afternoon.

The cold and moisture will lead to hefty and significant snow accumulations across SE Texas, with sleet late tonight/early Tuesday before changing over to snow before sunrise Tuesday.

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.