With 2021 storm seared in their minds, Texans prepare for arctic blast this week
Temperatures are expected to be below freezing as far south as the Texas Gulf Coast, but not as cold as last year
DALLAS – People in Texas are preparing for the coldest weather the state has seen since the last year’s winter storm that caused blackouts that lasted for days.
This week’s storm is expected to bring snow and ice, as well as freezing temperatures, to a nearly 3,000-mile stretch of the U.S. – from Texas to New England.
For some Texans, word of the coming cold brought back sour memories of the February 2021 storm that left millions across the state without power. The extreme cold burst pipes in thousands of homes, leaving water pressures so low that it was impossible for some cities to keep water service flowing.
Homeowners, some of whom were forced to deal with the mess in the cold and dark, are not interested in repeating the experience.
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"When I woke up, there were four inches of water," Dallas homeowner Season Pokoj told FOX 4. "I can’t do it again. I can’t do it. I cannot go through that again because it was awful."
Pokoj said she had double insulation installed around some pipes damaged by the 2021 storm. She said she’s also going to use space heaters to stave off a repeat of the damage.
A silver lining to last year’s storm, if there is one, is that people feel they know exactly how to prepare for a freeze this time around.
"It’s been a lot of stocking on pipe insulation, the foam faucet stuff to protect, you know, the insulators," Christopher Martinez, of 3H Hardware Store in Fort Worth, told FOX 4. "A bunch of that, honestly."
Martinez said piping and sealant have also been in high demand.
"It’s better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it," one shopper told FOX 4 outside a Target store.
North Texas will likely take the brunt of the arctic blast, with temperatures forecast to drop into the teens and stay below freezing for nearly 36 hours. While that is serious cold, it is a far cry from below-zero weather the region experienced during last year's storm.