Photo courtesy Metro Creative
Another bout of freezing weather is hitting North Texas tonight. Here’s what to expect and how to prepare.
The expected impacts of the cold front prompted the National Weather Service to issue both a winter weather advisory and extreme cold warning for Dallas-Fort Worth and surrounding areas.
The coldest conditions will be Wednesday and Thursday mornings as temperatures drop into the teens with wind chills below zero, forecasts show. Some locations could experience a wind chill as cold as negative 10 degrees.
With the extreme cold comes a higher risk of frozen pipes, which can burst, leaving property owners with significant damage. Pipes most at risk are in unheated interior spaces like attics and garages, but even pipes in cabinets or exterior walls can freeze.
According to the city of Dallas and local plumbing experts, here’s what you can do to prepare your pipes before a freeze:
- Insulate or wrap pipes located in unheated areas of your home, such as the basement, attic or crawl spaces. This helps prevent them from freezing and reduces the risk of burst pipes.
- Seal any cracks or gaps in your home’s exterior walls to prevent cold air from reaching your pipes. This is especially important for pipes located near outer walls.
- Drain and remove garden hoses from outside faucets. Insulate outdoor faucets with hard foam covers or by wrapping them with cloth.
- For a pier and beam foundation, cover the vents around the foundation.
- Familiarize yourself with where your private water cut-off valves are located and how to operate them.
Additionally, to keep pipes protected, you should:
- Let hot and cold water drip slowly from inside faucets during a hard freeze. The consistent flow of water can help prevent the pipes from freezing.
- Keep cabinet doors open for pipes located under sinks. This will allow the warm air from inside your home to circulate around them.
- Keep your home’s temperature consistent even when you’re away. Avoid drastically turning the thermostat down during the night or when you’re not at home.
The City has also announced that potential weather-related garbage and recycling collection delays are expected this week. The service impact details are below:
- Automated collection routes (trucks equipped with mechanical arms that lift and empty carts without manual labor) are expected to proceed on schedule, pending safe road conditions
- Manual collection routes (requiring workers to physically roll and empty carts behind the truck) will be delayed until supervisors determine conditions are safe for outdoor work, with ongoing monitoring throughout the day
- Routes typically beginning at 7 a.m. that cannot start by 9 a.m. may not be fully completed on the scheduled service day
- These delays may result in cascading schedule impacts through Friday
- Crews will work on Saturday to attempt to complete impacted routes
- Garbage collection will be prioritized over recycling collection
- Any uncollected materials will be picked up during next week’s regular service, with additional waste/recycling amounts accommodated
