Irving: Update- Weather Service Updates Issues Winter Storm Watch

Press release from the City of Irving:

February 11, 2021

Update: Weather Service Updates Issues Winter Storm Watch

The National Weather Service's Fort Worth office has updated its weather forecast through next week to include a winter storm watch from Sunday into Monday.

Residents should prepare for extreme winter weather, including dangerous record-breaking low temperatures, freezing rain and heavy blowing snow.

The forecast

• Friday, Feb. 12: Conditions will remain dry and cold through the day. Spotty freezing rain and drizzle will enter the area late night into Saturday morning, with accumulations on all surfaces, especially elevated areas and bridges. Some areas of the city may experience freezing rain while others remain dry.
• Saturday, Feb. 13: Continued spotty freezing rain and drizzle. Accumulations will likely remain in place for the next several days as extreme cold settles into the area.
• Saturday night, Feb. 13 to Sunday, Feb. 14: Conditions will deteriorate to widespread freezing drizzle and freezing rain. Light snow possible. Accumulation that impacts all surfaces is expected.
• Sunday, Feb. 14 to Monday, Feb. 15: A dangerous significant winter storm producing blizzard-like conditions and heavy snow accumulations of 3 to 7 inches, with blowing snow possible. Bitterly cold temperatures expected. Temperatures are expected to fall into the teens, with wind chills in the -10 to -15 degrees range.Strong winds combined with heavy accumulation amounts may lead to broken tree limbs and downed power lines.
• Tuesday, Feb. 16: Dry and cold, but with little improvement to road conditions.
• Wednesday, Feb. 17 to Thursday, Feb. 18: Another winter weather system may move into the area, impacting the already dangerous conditions.

Impacts to roads will last for several days until temperatures rise above freezing. Plumbing, both outdoor and indoor, are at high risk for damage. In addition, the extreme cold may cause high energy demands that potentially can cause outages.

Stay Safe

• With record low temperatures and increased demand for electricity and natural gas, residents may experience rolling brown-outs.
• Accumulation of ice and snow on power lines and trees, combined with up to 40 mph winds, set up conditions for likely power outages. Residents are urged to prepare for potential loss of power, heat or other utilities.
• Pipes are likely to freeze. Drip interior faucets, especially those adjacent to exterior walls, and open cabinet doors to ensure plumbing gets additional warm air.
• Residents are urged to use extreme safety precautions with candles, space heaters and other alternative heat sources to reduce fire risk.

Helpful Links

Opens a New Window.

• 24/7 Electricity Outage Information: Find outage information Opens a New Window.
• Report a Power Outage – toll-free, 24/7 hotline: (888) 313-6862 or (888) 313-4747
• Report a Power Outage online: Report power outages Opens a New Window.
• Text Oncor about a Power Outage: The service requires preregistration.
  • Text ‘reg’ to 66267 (ONCOR) to register. Please have either your ESID or the telephone number listed on your account and your ZIP code to complete registration.
  • Text ‘out’ to 66267 (ONCOR) to report your outage.
  • Text ‘stat’ to 66267 (ONCOR) to receive an update on your outage.
• Oncor Chronic Care Customer Application: Learn more

During this inclement weather event, general updates on city operations will be available at CityofIrving.org, on the city’s Twitter feed (twitter.com/thecityofirving) and Facebook page (facebook.com/thecityofirving). Visit the Emergency Winter Weather Resources page for information on contacting resources such as TxDOT and Oncor.

National Weather Service Fort Worth website

This press release was produced by the City of Irving. The views expressed here are the author’s own.