Local authorities said that come the evening of Feb. 2, elevated roadways will be given antifreeze treatments ahead of a forecasted arctic cold front that is expected to bring the coldest temperatures the San Antonio area has seen this winter.
Officials from the city of San Antonio, Bexar County, CPS Energy and San Antonio Water System gathered for a virtual news conference Feb. 1 to announce various levels of preparations taking place because of the approaching freeze.
According to the National Weather Service San Antonio office, there is a possibility of a mix of freezing rain and sleet in portions of south Central Texas by early Feb. 3 with freezing precipitation continuing the same afternoon.
NWS forecasts call for a low temperature of 36 degrees Fahrenheit the night of Feb. 2 following the cold front’s arrival and a high temperature of 38 degrees Feb. 3. Low temperatures are expected to hover in the low 20s in the evenings of Feb. 3-5.
San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said his officers will keep close watch of roadways with the cold front’s approach, as city and Texas Department of Transportation crews work to treat city streets and state-maintained roads with a focus on elevated routes.
“Our goal is to shut those highways down and the overpasses down before they freeze,” McManus said.
City Manager Erik Walsh said, for now, the city is holding off on opening public warming shelters, but that shelters for unsheltered individuals will be open. Additionally, the city’s Homeless Connections Hotline will be open through 6 p.m. on Feb. 3 and 4 to help connect individuals to resources and assistance through the cold weather. The hotline number is 210-207-1799.
The county will open the following warming shelters:
- Emergency Services District No. 2, 2096 Talley Road
- ESD No. 3, 23103 Bulverde Road
- ESD No. 8, 20825 Babcock Road
- city of China Grove, 2456 S. FM 1516
- Leon Valley Convention Center, 6427 Evers Road
- Bexar County Fire Marshal’s Office, 9810 Southton Road
The county warming shelters will be open from 7 p.m. Feb. 2 through noon Feb. 5, according to county officials. Anyone is welcome at a county facility, where there will be bottled water and COVID-19 safety protocols, the county said.
Rudy Garza, CPS Energy’s interim president and CEO, said the local utility’s transmission system is “fully functional” and that work crews are ready to respond to problems as quickly as possible. He also said high winds, which also are forecasted as part of the cold blast, are likely to be the biggest cause of any power outages.
“We’ll do the best we can to keep up,” Garza said.
Garza sought to allay fears of prolonged, controlled outages that thousands of CPS Energy customers endured during the historic winter storm of February 2021, saying he believes the state power grid “is ready to go.”
Garza said user demand on power could peak by the morning of Feb. 4, but he does not expect it to surpass available power supplies.
He also said CPS Energy has spent $2 million building more than 100 structures and erecting heating elements and protective barriers around critical equipment as part of winterizing efforts since the end of Winter Storm Uri.
“I do believe our peers across the state have done their part,” Garza said.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, in a Feb. 1 press conference about the state’s preparations for the cold front, said: “No one can guarantee that there wont be a 'load shed event,’” referring to planned blackouts that utilities employed statewide during Winter Storm Uri.
Additionally, Garza said CPS Energy has re-evaluated its circuits to more precisely isolate the ones providing electricity to critical locations, such as hospitals and police and fire stations.
According to a city news release, 155 circuits were added to the list of eligible circuits to rotate in the event of state-mandated power outages in order to minimize the duration of rotating outages.
Garza and Walsh said CPS Energy and city facilities will undergo energy-conservation measures during this winter weather event. Garza encouraged residents to practice energy conservation if possible.
“Anybody who can conserve, conservation is always a good idea,” he said.
SAWS President and CEO Robert Puente expressed confidence that the water utility’s infrastructures above and below ground are winterized and prepared to handle the freeze forecasted for this week.
“Everything should function as it should,” he said. Puente also urged people to protect their water pipes indoors and outside by covering them and letting them slowly drip.
“If you experienced frozen or burst pipes during [Winter Storm] Uri, you’ll probably see that again unless you’ve winterized them,” Puente said.
Walsh urged residents to take other precautions during the cold snap, including keeping warm and dressing in layers, checking on elderly family members and neighbors, keeping pets and potted plants inside, and covering outdoor plants with cloth fabric.
Walsh also said the city’s 311 system will extend its customer service hours on the night of Feb. 2 through midnight with the service set to be open 6 a.m. Feb. 3 through midnight and open at 6 a.m. Feb. 4.
