Storm dropped temperatures into the teens; but 60s by Thursday
Boerne residents are anxious to enjoy an approaching thaw and put the first cold snap of 2024 behind them.
With temperatures dipping into the teens and daily highs barely cresting at the freezing point, residents dealt with slick roads, icy landscaping and treacherous travel, many vying just to stay home and wait it out.
The storm, which arrived Sunday with 30-40 mph gusts of wind and sleeting conditions, made things troublesome all day Monday and for most of Tuesday. A low of 13 degrees was established at 6 a.m. Monday, when the wintry conditions saw a wind chill of –8 degrees.
The high for the day was only 34 degrees at 3 p.m., before dropping back into the 20s by 6 p.m. that night.
As the front that brought precipitation moved through, skies cleared and temperatures plummeted as a result. Temperatures dropped to 19 degrees at midnight Monday, with a wind chill of –2 degrees when blustery 20-25 mph winds came through on the tail end of the Arctic blast.
National Weather Service forecasts look for highs in the low 40s for Wednesday and back to “regular” Texas weather by Thursday, with highs expected to reach the mid-60s.
City officials had Boerne Utilities crews active and on standby starting Sunday night into Monday morning, which otherwise would have been a city holiday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
“We had all the equipment fueled up and ready to go ... it was a holiday, but all necessary staff were either on duty or on call,” said Robert Taylor, Boerne digital managing editor.
The city did not see an overwhelming number of accidents, emergencies, or fires, as Taylor said people took heed with the advanced warnings, coupled with closures for MLK Day, and largely stayed home unless necessary.
He said Boerne Fire Department responded to 15 emergency calls Sunday night, with four motor vehicle collisions, including an 18-wheeler in Interstate 10.
Monday the BFD responded to only eight calls, split between vehicle collisions and fire alarms being triggered by the cold.
“Crews did a lot of proactive tree trimming, just to make sure nothing was hanging over lines that would freeze and fall on lines,” Taylor said.
Boerne Star reader Lori Motley Skeels of Comfort snapped this photo of ice-covered grass in the area, the result of an Arctic blast that arrived Sunday but was expected to clear the area today. Photo courtesy of Lori Motley Skeels.
Between 5 p.m. Sunday and noon Monday, Boerne Police responded to 16 vehicle collisions in the area, according to Chris Shadrock, Boerne communications director.
Shadrock said that number did not include the multitude of spinouts and vehicles that went off the roadway, only collisions.
Icy roadways could contribute to more, but Shadrock said the precipitation that made Sunday travel so dangerous had moved out of the area.
Comment
Comments