Slight chance of ice possible Sunday, National Weather Service says

Post-Register Staff Report

Think it’s cold now? This weekend, it’s likely to be even colder in Lockhart, Caldwell County and greater Central Texas, according to the National Weather Service, and there’s a chance that some icing could occur on roadways.

According to the NWS Weather Forecast Office in Austin/San Antonio, a strong cold front with arctic air will move into South Central Texas by Sunday morning. The surge of coldest air is expected to arrive Sunday afternoon into early Sunday evening, with temperatures beginning to fall below freezing in the late afternoon over the northern Hill Country, and late evening near San Antonio, NWS officials said.

“There is still a slight chance that freezing drizzle could develop behind the cold front New Year’s Eve into New Year’s Day, primarily across the Hill Country and Edwards Plateau,” said Monte Oaks with the NWS Weather Forecast Office in New Braunfels. “While it appears that precipitation expected behind the coldest air is expected to be very light, it could mean that dangerous driving conditions could develop at a time when a larger population is venturing out. Wind chills around midnight are expected to range from the teens to upper 20s.

“Currently, the chance of ice developing on solid road surfaces remains very low, with any impacts on driving expected to be mainly confined to elevated structures such as bridges and overpasses.

“Also, hard freezes are expected to occur across portions of the area Monday through Wednesday mornings of next week.”

The Texas Department of Transportation said Friday that Austin District crews are on standby to monitor the roadways throughout the weekend and would deploy if conditions warranted it.

“Our crews will respond as necessary,” said Southwest PIO Branch manager Diann Hodges.

TxDOT offers the following advice for driving in icy conditions:

• Reduce speed
• Increase following distance
• Use extra caution on bridges, ramps, overpasses
• Stay back at least 200 feet from vehicles treating roadways
• If you start to slide, ease off the gas pedal or brakes and steer into the direction of skid
• Avoid unnecessary travel