Cold Weather Advice

The temperatures in Austin are projected to drop below freezing on Saturday night, so now seems like a good time to think about cold weather preparations for your house.  You can go back to watch this video about how to properly drip your faucets: How and When to Drip Your Faucet During Winter Weather

It rarely get extremely cold in Austin, but if you were here in 2021 for the "snowpocalyse" or in 2023 for the horrible ice storm you know winter weather can go off the rails here.  Tuesday (currently) has a projected high of 32º and a 40% chance of snow.  Fortunately it's supposed to get to a sunny 46º on Wednesday, but here's are a couple of infographics anyway (who knows, you might really need these in Austin in February or be tuning in from a place with more intense snow):  

You can learn more by visiting Ready.gov's or the CDC's winter advisory pages.  

[Update 1p: ERCOT has just issued a Weather Watch for the 20th-23rd] 

[Update 5:30p: Was listening to NPR a few minutes ago.  ERCOT expressed concerns that rolling blackouts could occur in certain areas around the state.  Have some potable water stored just in case, along with food and other supplies if the forecast looks foreboding in your area.  Also, in Austin bring in plants and pets as a hard freeze is expected.  And, of course, protect your water pipes.]

Note: Also, if you need winter gear REI is a good place to get it.  Purchases by members can be eligible for an up to 10% dividend, and all REI purchases on the REI credit card earn 5% back in store credit.  Neither REI nor Capital One pay me to tell you this; I'm sharing because I've saved a lot of money on quality gear and earned quite a bit of store credit over the years by shopping strategically there.