Perla Cortez EDINBURG—According to the National Weather Service, temperatures in the Rio Grande Valley dropped to a low of 26 degrees Wednesday morning, the lowest since a temperature reading of 22 degrees in 2021.
Barry Goldsmith, a Weather Coordination Meteorologist from the National Weather Service, explained how the temperature changes caused these cold conditions.
“[The] atmosphere of the ocean has something called teleconnections and the difference in temperature between the ocean to the atmosphere over different parts of the globe influences how the weather happens,” Goldsmith said.
He said the Artic Express is a movement of cold air masses going toward continents.
However, that mass of cold air does not always reach Texas leading to warmer winters in the state.
The uncertainty of the weather caused concerns for residents such as Yessica Eguia after winter storm “Uri” left her family with no electricity or running water for a week in 2021.
“All of a sudden, we got the cold weather, and we were not used to that,” Eguia said in Spanish. “The strong winds from the storm made a tree fall into our driveway blocking the exit for our vehicles. All our food inside the fridge went bad and it was something hard for the community.”
She said if it wasn’t for her cousin who reached out and offered her house during the storm, her family would have suffered in the cold.
Environment America states the winter storm on Feb. 15, 2021, left more than 3.9 million homes and businesses without any electricity or water due to frozen water pipes.
During the freeze, many stores purchase-limits for propane and water.
Frankie Zuniga, Salvation Army sergeant, said he will open up the shelter space for people without electricity and water.
“We are now going to be 5 p.m. up to midnight,” Zuniga said. “And that is again for anybody, Hidalgo County residents, that need somewhere to stay they can come with us and stay with us. We have a banquet hall so in cases of overflow we have space for people to stay.”
Goldsmith shared the following Five P’s to protect your surroundings this winter:
People: Wear multiple layers of clothing when going outside and be attentive to the elderly and vulnerable family members.
Pets: Bring pets inside or to a warm place. Their fur is not accustomed to strong cold air masses.
Plants: If plants are potted bring them inside and if planted in the ground, cover them with a blanket or plastic cover to avoid freezing.
Pipes: If pipes are above ground, cover it in insulated material. If underground, shut off the water in the pipe to avoid a frozen water blockage.
Power: Be prepared and have a back-up plan.
