Cold front could drop local temperatures down to single digits on Thursday, Dec. 22
By Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan
The first day of winter will be tomorrow, Dec. 21, and winter will make itself well-known by mid-morning Thursday, when a cold front is expected to come through this area.
According to the National Weather Service, Wednesday’s predicted high temperature is 53 with an overnight low of 29. Thursday’s high is supposed to be 30 degrees, which will probably be reached early in the day. The cold front is expected to move through Stephens County by mid-morning, and by that night, the temperature could be 10 degrees or possibly 9 degrees or lower. Friday’s forecast shows a high of 25 degrees, and by Saturday, the temperature might rise above freezing to 33 degrees.
One factor that is expected to make the cold temperatures have a big impact is the wind, which could create very low wind chills. As the front comes through the area, winds are predicted to be 15-30 miles per hour with gusts up to 45 mph.
Christmas Day, Sunday, Dec. 25, the forecast shows sunny skies and a high temperature of 48 degrees.
On Monday evening, Dec. 19, Stephens County Judge Michael Roach asked Sam Nichols, KTAB-TV’s chief meteorologist, to prepare a special weather report for the Breckenridge area. He said that the arctic cold front will be a dry front and that there should not be any precipitation in this area.
Click the image below to watch Nichols’ report, which was posted on the Stephens County, Texas Facebook page Monday evening.
According to an article on the Texas Tribune, Texas’ electric grid is reportedly prepared for the cold front. “The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages power for most of the state, said electricity supply should keep up with an expected surge in demand,” the article states. “Texans endured a catastrophic power blackout during Winter Storm Uri in February 2021, which left millions of people in the dark for days and caused hundreds of deaths across the state. Many died from carbon monoxide poisoning after attempting to heat their homes by bringing grills inside or running their vehicles in the garage. ERCOT and the Public Utility Commission have made several changes to the power grid to improve its performance during cold weather since the crisis, many of them a result of legislation passed in 2021. Improvements include better power plant preparation, ensuring natural gas-fired plants have additional sources of fuel on site in case of emergency, and improving communications between electricity regulators, oil and gas regulators, and the Texas Division of Emergency Management.”
The Texas Department of Emergency Management has a list of resources for Texans who may need assistance during extreme weather. Click here for more information.
(Weather graphics courtesy of the National Weather Service)
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