Cold weather expected to rival devastating freeze of 1989

As some of the coldest weather since the Christmas freeze of 1989 is expected to arrive in the Rio Grande Valley later this week, weather officials are encouraging residents to start making preparations now.

An arctic cold front will blow through the Valley on Thursday dropping temperatures to the 40s, where they will remain throughout the day, the National Weather Service in Brownsville reported. Figure in the wind chill and it will feel more like it’s in the 30s. Winds will be blowing at about 20 to 30 mph.

On Friday, it will get much colder with the wind making it feel more like it is in the 20s, although the temperatures will remain in the 30s throughout the day. The last time the Valley experienced such daytime temperatures was in January 1997.

"It will be a biting cold," said Barry Goldsmith, a warning coordination meteorologist with the NWS. "That’s the day (Friday) it is really going to feel cold."

There’s also a chance that the lower Valley could experience a "wintry mix" of sleet and rain Goldsmith said, adding weather forecasters are still reviewing the weather model data on this possibility.

"‘Don’t be surprised if Friday it is so miserable that you just see things falling out of the sky that you don’t normally" see, Goldsmith said. "The idea of something other than rain falling from the sky is not out of the question right now for the Lower Valley."

This could occur along the U.S. 77 corridor from Willacy County to Cameron County.

In preparation for the colder weather, residents should begin preparing their outdoor pipes for a potential freeze. Exposed pipes should be insulated and residents may want to have a slow drip coming from older pipes during the nighttime hours to prevent them from freezing.

Some outdoor vegetation may need to be covered up with either plastic or blankets to protect the plants from the cold.

The hardest freeze could occur when temperatures drop below 28 degrees for at least two or more hours. Locations that see those conditions could be in trouble, Goldsmith said. Citrus that is ready to be harvested should be picked before the front begins either today, Wednesday or early Thursday.

Pet owners may also want to consider moving outdoor pets indoors and out of cold.

Residents may want to consider wearing layered clothing to stave off the chill if they don’t own a heavy coat. The usage of gloves, scarves and protective covering for the ears and head is also recommended.

"You put those three or four layers together, you won’t feel it (cold) going through" the clothing, Goldsmith said. "This is not a bitter air mass, but this is very cold."