Early Freeze Means Heaters, Coats, Hats And Gloves For North Texans
NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - North Texans are bundling up for the first big freeze of the season.
With an overnight temperature below freezing and the wind chill in the teens, the weather is unusually cold for this time of year.
But the frigid conditions isn't stopping people from getting to work. Commuters at the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Mockingbird Station waited in bus shelters and cars until the last minute before hopping on the train or bus.
"I don't like it. It's too cold for me," said Tommie Oxford, while heading to her job at Southern Methodist University.
Most people were bundled up: complete with winter coats, hats, gloves, scarves and boots.
Bernadette Garcia said, "I'm freezing. I'm very cold. I'm wearing double everything!"
The first cold snap is always a little shocking, but this frigid weather is out of the ordinary. The last time it was this cold, this early in November was back in 2014.
"We're just doing what we have to do: bundling up out here," rider Eric Drahman said as he waited at the DART station."Heading to work, because we still got to get paid."
Commuter Lisa Davis knows it's worse in her home state of Wisconsin. "They have snow already. So I'm okay," she said. "I can take it. That's why I'm a little prepared already, so it's not really bad to me."
During freezing conditions it's important to protect the 4 P's - people, pets, plants and pipes - from the cold.
People
- Check on your elderly neighbors and relatives to make sure they're warm
- Avoid leaving heaters unattended
- Don't use extension cords near space heaters
Pets
- Bring your pets indoors
- If you can't bring your animals inside, provide a warm place where they can stay
Plants
- Cover any tender plants and flowers with towels or blankets
- Don't use plastic to cover plants, because moisture can get trapped underneath and make plants colder
- Turn off sprinkler system
Pipes
- Cover exterior pipes and faucets with insulation to prevent water freezing in them
Some would say the most predictable thing about North Texas weather is that it can change in an instant. One man agreed, saying, "I mean with Texas you don't know... one day it's gonna be 70 degrees [and] the next day it's gonna be 30, like it is today."