SCHOOL CLOSURES
The Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District announced the cancellation of classes for the remainder of the day, Monday, due to power outages reported throughout the area.
Here’s a list of school closures and schools implementing remote learning due to the freeze conditions.
WEATHER CONDITIONS
The temperature in McAllen has so far dropped to 21 degrees, shattering prior records for Feb. 15, the National Weather Service in Brownsville announced Monday via Twitter.
The previous coldest temperature on record was 35 degrees in 1946.
OUTAGES
More than 110,000 Rio Grande Valley residents were without power Monday morning as freezing temperatures swept across the area, according to a tweet by the National Weather Service in Brownsville at about 8:30 a.m.
“It may take a while to restore…so please follow these safety tips,” the tweet continued:
>> Close blinds and curtains to keep some heat
>> Close off rooms to avoid wasting heat
>> Wear layers of loose-fitting, lightweight warm clothing
>> Eat or drink food that provides energy to warm the body
>> Avoid caffeine and alcohol
>> Stuff towels or rags in crack under doors
Meanwhile, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) entered emergency conditions and initiated rotating outages at 1:25 a.m. Monday.
ERCOT manages the flow of electric power to more than 26 million Texas customers and represents about 90 percent of the state’s electric load.
About 10,500 MW of customer load — or about enough power to serve approximately two million homes — was shed at the highest point, ERCOT officials announced in a news release early Monday morning.
Extreme weather conditions caused many generating units – across fuel types – to trip offline and become unavailable, and there is now over 30,000 MW of generation forced off the system.
“Every grid operator and every electric company is fighting to restore power right now,” ERCOT President and CEO Bill Magness said.
Rotating outages will likely last throughout the morning and could be initiated until this weather emergency ends.
Anyone needing information regarding power outages may contact their electric providers. The customer service number for American Electric Power (AEP) is 866-223-8508, and the number for Magic Valley Electric Cooperative (MVEC) is 866-225-5683.
TRAFFIC ALERTS
The city of McAllen announced via Twitter that there are traffic signal outages in the following intersections:
>> 10th Street between Jackson Avenue and Dallas Avenue;
>> 23rd Street between Jackson Avenue and Dallas Avenue;
>> 23rd Street and Galveston Avenue;
>> 23rd Street and Dallas Avenue;
>> 23rd Street and Jordan Avenue;
>> 23rd Street and Balboa Avenue;
>> 23rd Street and Elmira Avenue;
>> Bicentennial Boulevard and Jackson Avenue;
>> Bicentennial Boulevard and Houston Avenue;
>> Main Street and Houston Avenue;
>> Main Street and Jackson Avenue;
>> 29th Street and Gumwood Avenue;
>> 29th Street and Trenton Road;
>> 29th Street and Lark Avenue;
>> 29th Street and Dove Avenue;
>> 29th Street and Zinnia Avenue;
>> 29th Street and Nolana Avenue;
>> 29th Street and Iris Avenue;
>> 29th Street and Daffodil Avenue;
>> 29th Street and Harvey Avenue;
>> 29th Street and Vine Avenue;
>> 29th Street and Pecan Boulevard;
>> 29th Street and Quince Avenue;
>> Ware Road and Business 83;
>> Ware Road and Idela Avenue;
>> Ware Road and Pecan Boulevard;
>> Ware Road and Daffodil Avenue;
>> Ware Road and Nolana Avenue;
>> 34th Street and Nolana Avenue;
>> Bentsen Road and Nolana Avenue;
>> Bentsen Road and Daffodil Avenue;
>> Bentsen Road and Vine Avenue;
>> Bentsen Road and 3 Mile;
>> Taylor Road and 3 Mile;
>> Nolana Avenue and 26th Street;
>> McColl Road and Ridge Road;
>> K Center and Ridge Road;
>> Highway Business 83 and Main Street;
>> Highway Business 83 and Broadway Street;
>> Main Street and Trenton Road.
ROAD CLOSURES
The Owassa overpass on Business 281 is closed, the Texas Department of Transportation announced via a tweet Monday morning.
Similarly, all four connector ramps in Pharr for the I-2/I-69C Interchange were closed due to hazardous weather conditions, Dragados-Pulice Joint Venture announced in a Tweet Monday.
“Roadway conditions will be monitored and will be reopened as conditions improve,” the tweet said. “Please do not drive if you do not absolutely have to.”
TxDOT also reported a Monday morning accident on the westbound lanes of Interstate 2 near the Altas Palmas exit.
DELAYED SERVICES
The Hidalgo County Clerk’s Office will remain closed until noon Tuesday due to the expected hard freeze prediction for Monday night, county officials announced in a news release Monday.
Hidalgo County Clerk Arturo Guajardo, Jr. said his decision to delay opening was due to the harsh weather that is expected to cause dangerous road conditions, which will be hazardous for the public and his staff.
Regular office hours will resume on Wednesday.
Edinburg will delay the opening of non-essential facilities out of an abundance of caution and due severe weather in the area, city officials announced Sunday night.
City hall, parks and recreational buildings, the Dustin Michael Sekula Memorial Library, and the Edinburg Municipal Court will open at noon on Monday.
“If travel is necessary, we ask our citizens to be cautious and to please consider all weather and travel-related warnings before heading out the roadways. Stay warm and stay safe,” the city said in a news release Sunday.
Hidalgo County also announced Monday afternoon that government operations will be delayed until noon Tuesday due to the inclement weather.
“We are always concerned about the safety of the public as well as Hidalgo County employees,” Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez said in a news release. “Because of that, we have decided to delay operations of most county facilities until noon on Tuesday.”
The Hidalgo County Drainage District and the Hidalgo County Commissioners Court will have their regularly scheduled meetings beginning at 9:45 a.m. and 10 a.m. respectively. Both meetings will be streamed live at www.hidalgocounty.us
County workers involved in essential safety and road operations will be notified separately for any earlier start involving them.
