Gov. Greg Abbott warns Texans to winterize homes, prepare for incoming arctic front
Ahead of an upcoming dangerous cold snap, Gov. Greg Abbott briefed Texans on the state's preparation and response to the weather.
On Monday, Abbott warned Texans to pay attention to the forecast and be cautious as temperatures plummet across the state.
"My key point is, when temperatures get that cold, lives are at risk," Abbott said.
Dangerously cold wind chills are in store for Wednesday and Thursday with a mix of rain on Tuesday, prompting First Alert Weather Days for North Texas.
An extreme cold weather warning will also be in place from Tuesday night into Thursday morning. Temperatures will be in the teens with the "feels-like" temperature in the single digits or approaching -10 degrees.
Over the weekend, several warming shelters opened across Dallas-Fort Worth in preparation of the frigid temperatures. Texas Department of Public Safety crews also hit the roads Sunday to treat major roads and highways across Tarrant and Dallas counties with a brine solution.
Abbott said that over the weekend, TxDOT pretreated roads with over 4,000 gallons of brine. He also said he has directed TxDOT to deploy winter roadway equipment and crews to Texas roads.
As for the power grid, Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) CEO Pablo Vegas said he expects an adequate supply of electricity to meet demands during this winter weather event.
Watch the full press conference in the player above.
