According to a Thursday evening update from the NWS, temperatures throughout Thursday evening and Friday morning will drop to around 26 to 30 degrees for several hours. Wind chills will be severe throughout Friday and residents are warned they will reach minus 15 degrees. There is also a chance of rain on Friday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The NWS had three active alerts for Laredo Thursday night. This included a frost warning from Thursday 9 p.m. to Friday noon, a wind chill warning for the first few minutes of Friday at noon, and a frost watch from Friday 8 p.m. to Saturday 10 a.m.

The NWS specifically says dangerously cold wind chills are expected, which could reach 15 degrees. With low temperatures, chances of rain and wind chill, the risk of hypothermia is higher. The NWS recommends avoiding outdoor activities if possible and, when outdoors, wearing appropriate clothing such as a hat and gloves. The city recommends residents stay indoors during the freeze event, make sure pets are inside, watch plumbing, cover exposed pipes, and make sure friends and the elderly family have adequate shelter.

However, the city said preparations are underway for several shelters in west and central Laredo, but there are currently no plans to open them. Instead, the city will remain on standby in case they become necessary. This includes the heated shelter that was established last year at Sames Auto Arena and served over 200 residents last February.

The reactionary approach may be because state officials said the state was better prepared for inclement weather, but Gov. Greg Abbott couldn’t guarantee there wouldn’t be power outages. .

According to the AEP Texas outage map, there were 160 customer outages in the Laredo area as of 5 p.m., where estimated restoration was due to end by 9 p.m. Thursday. With thousands of power outages across the state, it’s unclear how the power grid will continue to operate Friday and Saturday.

ABC 13 Houston reported that more than 52,000 customers were without power one hour after noon Thursday. This may be due to several factors, however, as Abbott said incidents such as falling trees or power lines can play a role.

“People can lose power. Power lines might be down. Power lines run by the company that customers contract with,” Abbott said. “These power lines could fall because a tree fell on the power lines and the power lines are no longer, at that precise moment, able to supply electricity to a house.”

Additionally, TXDOT was working on spraying IH-35 to mitigate the risk of icing throughout the night. The Laredo Police Department wrote that it was helping with the effort but advised drivers to exercise caution and slow down.

Residents are encouraged to keep up to date with any city developments or announcements by following its social media accounts, including the police and/or sheriff’s department.

The community was also encouraged to contact the Laredo 3-1-1 call center with any questions or concerns, and to report any potential power outages to the AEP at 1-866-223-8508 or view the updates through his Twitter account @AEPTexas.

Meanwhile, LPD said that due to wind chill in the area, the COVID-19 rapid testing site at Slaughter Park will close at noon on Thursday only.

“On behalf of your Laredo Police Department, bundle up and keep all animals warm, stay home if possible. Check in on your elderly neighbors and family,” LPD said in a statement.

By noon on Thursday, the city’s forecast saw temperatures drop to 38 degrees with 74% humidity. According to Weather Channel, the 21 mph winds resulted in a temperature of 27 degrees. However, strong winds and temperatures in the mid-20s are expected, with the drop beginning Thursday at 6 p.m. through Friday at 7 a.m.

According to Weather Channel, wind chill is the same as temperatures feel and the wind blows away the thin layer of warm air above the skin. The stronger the wind, the more heat your body loses and the colder it will be. When the winds are light, it will feel closer to the actual air temperature.

The lower the temperature and the higher the wind speed, the faster frostbite can occur. This, however, is only in extreme cases where the temperature is below zero. For example, the Weather Channel states that with an air temperature of minus 20 degrees and a wind speed of 15 mph, frostbite occurs in 10 minutes or less.

What poses a risk for Laredo residents is hypothermia, which occurs if core body temperature drops below 95 degrees. To prevent hypothermia, the NWS encourages individuals to:

Dress in layers.

Cover up well when you go out in cold weather.

Avoid breezes and drafts indoors.

Eat nutritious foods and wear warm clothes to avoid winter cold.

Wear a warm hat in winter.

Eat hot foods and drink hot drinks several times a day.

If you live alone, have a family member or neighbor check on you daily.

The NWS also said that if a person’s body temperature is 96 degrees or lower, if they are cold and lazy, and/or have trouble thinking clearly, they should go to a doctor or the emergency room immediately. to make sure she doesn’t die of hypothermia.

According to the AEP Texas outage map, there were 17 customer outage reports and five outage cases. South of Laredo in the Rio Grande Valley, the midday map shows 29 customer outages and 10 cases. AEP is having the most difficulty in the North with more than 3,064 customer outage reports in the West Texas/Abilene area.

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