What’s the next best thing to a white Christmas in Houston? If you’re thinking, a couple of days below freezing, you’re in luck. On Friday, Houston will be hit with the lowest temperatures it has seen so far this season. Here is what you need to know to cope with the quickly approaching cold. 1. Should Cy-Fair ISD cancel classes… Superintendent Mark Henry will make the final call on whether or not it is in the school district’s best interest to close campuses or delay classes. Cy-Fair ISD would start placing automated calls to home phone numbers beginning at 6 a.m. through the district’s Emergency Notification System. The district would also notify local television and radio stations to push out the information. CFISD asks that parents do not call district offices or individual schools for information to leave phone lines open for emergency situations. TEA keeps an updated list of all schools closed across the state here. As of 4:15 p.m., no schools have been closed. 2. Should driving conditions become icy… AAA provides a list of tips for driving in icy conditions, including:

• Keep at least a half-tank of gasoline in your vehicle at all times.
• Accelerate and decelerate slowly. Factor in this extra time for stops and starts as it takes longer to slow down or speed up on icy roads.
• Increase your following distance from 3-4 seconds (on dry pavement) to 8-10 seconds.
• Don’t stop if you can avoid it. It takes a lot of inertia to start a car in full stop position.
• Don’t power up hills. Speed up a little before the hill and let the inertia carry you to the top.

3. Should you start to feel the cold… The National Weather Service recommends wearing gloves and a hat to prevent losing body heat, checking on elderly relatives or friends who are more susceptible to the cold and bringing your pets indoors. The weather authority also recommends placing space heaters at least three feet away on a level, hard surface and making sure to turn them off before going to bed. 4. Should the temperatures start to affect your home… To protect your home and plants from the cold, you can:

• Shut off water to outside spigots by disconnecting any hoses, draining the lines and insulating the hose bibs.
• Let your faucets drip if they are located on exterior walls and aren’t insulated properly. Use both hot and cold water and open your cabinet doors so all your pipes will be warmed by your home’s heating system.
• In the case of a light freeze, you can protect your plants by covering them with a sheet. In lower temperatures, place plastic over the sheets to insulate further. Make sure you remove the sheet and plastic the morning after.