DALLAS — If you haven't been a fan of the toasty holiday weather we've been experiencing, then 2022 might be your year. Because it's about to get cold in a hurry.
A storm system will move through North Texas on New Year's Eve, bringing with it a chance of severe weather late Friday and into early Saturday. And just behind that system will be our first true cold front of the season -- likely arriving in North Texas at some point on Saturday afternoon.
The result, on Sunday morning, will be our coldest weather since last winter. Expect low temperatures in the mid-20s for most of the North Texas, and even lower in the counties to our northwest.
A stiff northwest wind will make things feel even colder, dropping wind chills on Sunday into the single digits in Collin and Denton counties, and into the low teens for Dallas and Fort Worth.
If you live in Denton or McKinney, it'll feel like five degrees Sunday morning. Yes, five.
This will be North Texas' first major freeze of the season. We dipped to 32 degrees on Dec. 12, but the high still reached 60 that day, and it's been relatively warm ever since.
With that in mind, remember to cover any outdoor plants and pipes, and bring your pets inside.
Indoor plumbing should be fine, but anything outside could freeze in the frigid weather. If possible, wrap outdoor pipes with an insulation foam and tape.
You should also move any potted plants closer to your house to provide more heat, and add mulch to plants in the ground to help protect their roots.
For plants you're covering, use a sheet or burlap -- not plastic.
The good news? The blast of cold won't last too long.
Temperatures will begin to warm up on Monday, and then reach the low 60s on Tuesday and Wednesday.
But, again, if you were getting tired of the spring-like weather during the Christmas season, then you're in luck. Winter -- at least the kind we're used to here in Texas -- is finally here.
