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There’s been a long-running joke about weather in the Lone Star State that you’ve probably heard your dad whip out during lulls in small talk: “If you don’t like the weather in Texas, wait five minutes.” Hilarious as always, Pops, though the same thing is said about weather in tons of other places.
But to give your dad some credit, it’s an adage for a reason, and one that will ring especially true after this past Sunday saw highs in the 70s. Brace yourselves, y’all: Later this week, Snowpocalypse 2.0 could be upon us.
Fittingly, The Weather Channel reports that a “wintry mess” of sleet, ice and snow is set to hit parts of North Texas on Wednesday: Groundhog Day. On Thursday, sleet, snow and freezing rain could reach all the way to Central Texas.
And as in the the movie Groundhog Day, in which Bill Murray plays a weatherman caught in a time loop, many Texans are worried about potentially reliving last February, thanks in large part to a recent ominous announcement.
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The Electric Reliability Council of Texas on Friday projected near-record energy demand during this week’s cold snap. Two days later, the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) tweeted that Texans should prep for below-freezing weather.
TDEM’s suggestions include “insulate your home,” “build your emergency kit” and “invest in a propane stove (use outdoors only).” Listed under the “tips” section, TDEM recommends that Texans learn how to shut off their gas and water and “get to know [their] neighbors.” (We can picture it now: “Hey there, Billy, I know we’ve never spoken before, but mind if I hit you up for firewood when the grid fails again?”)
Then, on Monday, WFAA weather wizard Pete Delkus changed his profile photo on Twitter, appearing to show him frozen in ice. That can’t be good.
— Pete Delkus (@wfaaweather) January 31, 2022
Well, the way Delkus tells it, the arctic cold front is going to serve up some of North Texas’ coldest temperatures so far this winter. The day before, he tweeted a WFAA projection showing a low of 22 degrees for Thursday.
This cold snap is hitting just shy of the anniversary of 2021’s Winter Storm Uri, which plunged much of the state into subfreezing temperatures and caused a widespread power outage that claimed 246 lives. Still, Delkus wants you to know that comparatively speaking, it won’t be as bad.
“I want to help ease anxiety regarding the cold snap coming this week,” he said in a tweet Sunday. “This will NOT be as long lasting and brutal as last February when DFW spent 139 consecutive hours below freezing. This one will be around 48 hours. And not as much of the state will be impacted.”
Somewhere in Houston, @SenTedCruz unpacks his suitcase. Releases a heavy sigh. Holds up his bathing suit before putting it back in the drawer. “soon, amigo. soon.”
— LeftyLonghorn (@LeftyLonghorn) January 31, 2022
While Texans everywhere are likely relieved to learn of Delkus’ reassurance, one Twitter user pointed out that the news probably prompted Texas’ junior senator to change his travel plans: “Somewhere in Houston, @SenTedCruz unpacks his suitcase. Releases a heavy sigh. Holds up his bathing suit before putting it back in the drawer. ‘soon, amigo. soon.'”
Nothing like a good Cruz dunk to really make this feel like Groundhog Day.
