The bitter cold front that arrived in the Rio Grande Valley on Thursday will continue to produce dangerous wind chills through Saturday.
Wind chills, or “feels like” temperatures, were anticipated to be between 17 to 24 degrees late Thursday night into early Friday morning, continuing with “feels like” temperatures below 30 degrees before noon on Friday, the National Weather Service Brownsville/Rio Grande Valley reported.
And because of these cold conditions, staff at the Gladys Porter Zoo was busy on Thursday watching and caring for the animals. The zoo is keeping some of its tortoises under heat lamps to keep them warm.
The majority of the animals have their own enclosures where they can go into to escape the cold conditions, said Alejandra Rodriguez, marketing coordinator for the zoo.
Zookeepers make sure the bird exhibits are winterized and covered to protect them from the elements.
“The Zoo closely monitors the weather and if needed, the diligent keeper staff recall animals into their heated retreats,” said Clint Guadiana, curator of Herpetology and chief safety officer at Gladys Porter Zoo. “Whenever the weather warms up, they are given access to both indoor and outdoor holding space.”
The coldest “feels like” temperatures will occur around 8 a.m. on Friday and Saturday mornings with a “feels like” temperature of 24 degrees in Brownsville, 22 degrees in Harlingen and 26 degrees in McAllen.
A wind chill advisory remains in effect until 1 p.m. Friday for the entire Valley. A wind chill advisory means that cold air and the wind will combine to create low wind chills. Frost bite and hypothermia can occur if precautions are not taken.
A freeze warning will be in effect until 10 a.m. Friday for Starr County and portions of Willacy and Hidalgo counties. The NWS reports sub-freezing temperatures as low as 30 degrees are anticipated in these areas.
A freeze watch will be in effect from late Friday night through Saturday morning for southern Hidalgo and inland Cameron County. Included in the watch are the cities of McAllen, Edinburg, Pharr, Mission, Weslaco, Brownsville, and Harlingen.
Weather officials report that during a freeze watch frost and freeze conditions could kill crops, other sensitive vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing.
Although the temperatures will rise to the mid 30s on Friday, those “feels like” temperatures are expected to fall between 17 to 24 degrees Friday night through mid Saturday morning, stated Barry Goldsmith, warning coordination meteorologist for the NWS.
The actual temperatures on Friday morning will be 34 degrees in Brownsville, 33 degrees in Harlingen and 36 degrees in McAllen. The temperatures on Saturday morning will be 33 in Brownsville, 32 in Harlingen and 34 in McAllen.
Goldsmith said “though we’re not forecasting impactful precipitation, it would not surprise to see a few ‘conversational’ ice pellets (sleet) Friday morning.”
Unlike the Jan. 20-21 cold front the Valley experienced, this one will continue to bring cool temperatures to the Valley through at least Sunday, Goldsmith said.
Because the cold temperatures will stick around for a few days, officials said residents should be reminded to keep themselves, their pets and plans protected from the cold continuing through early Sunday.
Goldsmith said that although minor power outages could occur, they will be mainly due to heavy use of heating and some stress on the power grid. Officials don’t anticipate a repeat of February 2021 when many parts of the Valley were without power for not only hours but at least a couple of days.
Saturday’s high will be around 52 degrees while the lows will be around 40 degrees. Sunday’s high will be about 63 degrees and the highs on Monday will be near 57 degrees.
The current frigid temperatures led some school districts to delay the opening of their schools on Friday by least one hour.
Officials at Sea Turtle Inc. on South Padre Island continue to monitor the frigid conditions that could result in cold stun turtles.
Sea Turtle Inc. said cold stun events happen when the water gets too cold for sea turtles to maintain their body temperature. As a result, the turtles are awake but unable to move or swim. If not rescued, while they are awake and alive, the turtles will drown from being unable to lift their head to draw their breath.
A Jan. 9 cold front resulted in nine cold stun turtles. Officials said this cold front appears to be on track to cause more significant cold stunt event.
