A hard freeze is settling into San Antonio this weekend, marking the Alamo City’s first freeze of the season and prompting warnings from forecasters.
A strong overnight cold front pushed through South Texas on Saturday, bringing gusty north winds and sharply colder air. As winds ease and skies clear overnight, forecasters say conditions will be ideal for temperatures to drop below freezing early Sunday morning.
The National Weather Service has issued a Freeze Warning from 2 a.m. to 9 a.m. Sunday for Bexar County, including San Antonio, along with Atascosa, Dimmit, Frio, Karnes, Maverick, Wilson and Zavala counties.
Sub-freezing temperatures between 26 and 32 degrees are expected, with some areas potentially dipping even colder. Officials warn the freeze could damage sensitive vegetation, kill crops, and impact unprotected outdoor plumbing.
This will be San Antonio’s first freeze of the season, according to News 4 San Antonio Chief Meteorologist Chris Suchan. He said the city could see six to eight hours at or below freezing.
Daytime conditions will improve quickly after the freeze. Sunday is expected to be sunny with a high near 60 degrees, followed by slightly warmer overnight lows into the mid-30s. Temperatures will continue to rebound into the mid-60s by Martin Luther King Jr. Day, forecasters say.
Residents are urged to take precautions ahead of the freeze, including covering tender plants, bringing pets indoors, and wrapping or slowly dripping exposed pipes to prevent freezing.