Austin opens shelters amid freezing weather; more frigid temperatures expected next week

Freezing weather Wednesday morning is expected to give way to warmer conditions over the next several days, but a cold front forecast to roll through Central Texas later in the week will again plummet temperatures to near freezing.

In anticipation of subfreezing weather Tuesday night, the city of Austin opened its cold-weather shelters for people experiencing homelessness and anyone needing a warm space.

Sarah Henry, public information officer for the city's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, said free bus transportation to the shelters will begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday. Daytime warming centers are also available as temperatures fluctuate over the next week.

"We'll continue to monitor those conditions, and if we need to open sheltering for additional nights those announcements will be made as soon as that information is available," Henry said.

Temperatures on Wednesday morning in downtown Austin are expected to dip to the mid-30s with other areas of the city and in Travis County below freezing, said Bob Fogarty, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service for the Austin-San Antonio area.

Austin, however, can expect a brief reprieve from cold temperatures as daily highs through Sunday are expected to range between the lower 60s and lower 70s, though the forecast low temperatures over the weekend will hover near freezing.

"The middle of the week is looking pretty nice," Fogarty said. "And then there's another front coming toward the end of the week — Thursday night, Friday, a little cool down again."

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Austin cold front brings strong winds, damage

With gusts reaching up to 59 mph, howling winds have mostly moved on, with conditions returning to normal in Austin ahead of anticipated winter weather next week.

"We're going to go back to what we normally see overnight," Fogarty said Tuesday. "Which is really light winds, less than 5 miles an hour overnight."

Brought by a cold front moving through the Hill Country, winds on Monday night were recorded at 53 mph at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and Camp Mabry. A gust knocked down a gas station canopy in South Austin.

However, as freezing temperatures clear out Wednesday morning, and more moderate weather takes hold through Thursday, the wind will also die down.

Fogarty said wind speeds on Friday could reach 25 mph with wind gusts reaching 30-40 mph as another cold front moves through the Hill Country. The next bout of winter weather expected Monday could also bring similarly gusty winds.

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Will Austin see winter storm, hail?

After Tuesday night's cold snap, weather conditions are expected to rebound into the mid-60s to lower 70s through Thursday, until another winter front rolls into Austin over the weekend.

Freezing temperatures are forecast to return Saturday morning and at the early part of next week, though minimal precipitation is expected.

"At this point we're saying no winter precipitation," Fogarty said. "But much colder the early part of next week."

While there is a chance for rain Thursday night into Friday, temperatures are not anticipated to dip below 32 degrees, eliminating chances for sleet, snow or freezing rain.

High temperatures on Monday and Tuesday are forecast to only be just above freezing, with lows dipping to the high teens and lower 20s. No precipitation is currently expected in Austin with that cold front.

Austin opens cold weather shelters Tuesday night

Austin is opening its cold weather shelters Tuesday night as freezing temperatures are expected in the region into Wednesday morning.

Buses will begin departing from One Texas Center, at 505 Barton Springs Road, at 6 p.m. to take people to the shelters, with service shutting down at 8 p.m.

"It's primarily for people who are experiencing homelessness," Henry said. "Although anyone who needed a warm place to stay would be welcome."

The city opens its shelters when temperatures dip to 32 degrees or below overnight, or to 35 degrees with precipitation or harsh winds.

During the daytime, a number of warming centers, mostly public libraries and recreation centers, are open for anyone needing to use them.

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Texas electric grid concerns?

Ahead of the anticipated winter weather across Texas this week, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which oversees the state's power grid, said upcoming weather conditions should not affect grid conditions.

"ERCOT is closely monitoring the weather conditions moving across Texas this week," ERCOT posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday. "Grid conditions are expected to be normal, and ERCOT expects to have sufficient supply to meet demand."

With precipitation largely out of the next week's forecast, as winter temperatures begin to take hold again, ERCOT said it anticipates any power outages to be local and caused by wind or falling tree branches, and not a systemwide failure to meet electricity demand.

Similarly, Austin Energy, also in a Monday post on X, said the agency is monitoring the potential for weather-related outages in the coming days due to possible high winds, like those felt Monday through Tuesday evening.

"Austin Energy has crews ready 24/7 to respond to outages, and we have additional crews ready in preparation for the weather," the post said.

The Austin Energy outage map allows residents to keep track of or report local outages.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin weather forecast to see more cold snaps, city opens shelters