We’re down to the final day of our historic arctic outbreak in Texas. It’s going to be cold today and back to bone-chilling cold tonight. Temperatures start a warming trend tomorrow. By next week we’ll be back into the 60s and 70s for afternoon high temperatures. The cold may finally be leaving, but the impacts it leaves behind will take much longer to repair.

Today’s Winter Storm Forecast

Light to moderate snow is falling this morning across the Permian Basin, Concho Valley, Edwards Plateau, and starting to sneak into South-Central Texas. Locally heavy snow is producing over one inch per hour snow rates in the Edwards Plateau. It looks like Del Rio may be our winner by the end of the day in the snow accumulation department. Snow is expected to increase later this morning and through the afternoon across South-Central Texas. There will be no winter weather or new accumulations across Texas’s northern or northeastern half from this system.

Snow Accumulation Forecast for Today

One to three inches of snow is forecast for the Permian Basin, Concho Valley, and South-Central Texas – including the San Antonio metro. A corridor of heavier snows up to eight inches is possible in the Edwards Plateau. Austin may see a dusting to one-half inch of snow. We’ll finally say goodbye to our series of winter storms as the final snows end tonight.

Impacts WILL continue for days to come!

We remind readers that it will take several days for snow and ice accumulations to melt completely. Re-freezing at night is probable with black-ice on some roadways. Falling ice from buildings, trees, traffic signals, light posts, and powerlines will be dangerous for days to come. Pipes bursting will become more common as they begin thawing. Remain vigilant for broken water lines over the next several days.

Temperature Forecast through Next Week

There are no ifs, and, or buts about it: Today will still be cold across Texas. The northern two-thirds of Texas will remain below freezing today. Solar radiation may still be able to melt some of the snow/icepack, but whatever melts will refreeze this evening.

Tonight is going to be bone-chilling cold across a good chunk of Texas. The entire state will experience sub-freezing temperatures. Wind chills will be five to ten degrees below the actual air temperature. Our temperatures tonight would be noteworthy for being so low – if we hadn’t just experienced the coldest Texas nights in the last fifty to one-hundred years.

How about some good news? We start warming up tomorrow, and that process will continue through the weekend and into next week. Temperatures by next week will be back to above-average for February, with the 60s and 70s during the afternoons! No significant weather makers are expected after today for a while.