First Alert Weather: Live updates for Friday, Dec. 23
NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) — A First Alert Weather Day has been called Friday due to the bitter cold and dangerous wind chills.
WHAT WE'RE WATCHING
- A wind chill advisory is in effect until noon. Wind chills could be as low as 15 degrees below zero.
- Highs will be in the mid 20s this afternoon with wind chills in the teens. We'll see partly-to-mostly cloudy skies.
- Christmas Eve will still remain cold. Many communities will not see highs above freezing.
- Christmas Day, though, will be sunny and chilly. Morning temperatures will be in the low 20s, and highs will be in the low-to-mid 40s.
Although our wind gusts won't be as high as yesterday, today will still be a windy day for many of us with wind chills in the single digits this morning and the teens this afternoon.
A wind chill advisory is in effect until noon today. Again, once we push into the afternoon, feels-like temps will rise into the teens. Actual high temperatures will be in the mid 20s. We'll see partly to mostly cloudy skies.
For Christmas Eve, we'll start the day with wind chills in the teens. High temperatures will be in the low to mid 30s...Unfortunately, many communities may stay below freezing all day long Saturday and that will be rough for some folks.
On Christmas morning, temperatures will be in the low 20s, but it will feel like the teens. By afternoon, our temperatures will climb into the low to mid 40s and we'll see some sunny skies!
Then, next week, our temperatures will gradually warm up. In fact, our highs could even get to near 70 degrees by the end of next week. Don't you just love Texas weather?
Happy Holidays!
Delays and cancellations at DFW, Love Field
9:30 p.m. - FlightAware reports the following delays and cancellations:
DFW Airport
Total delays: 800
Total cancellations: 210
Love Field
Total delays: 276
Total cancellations: 61
MedStar cold weather calls increase
As of 9 p.m. Friday, MedStar reports they have made 42 responses for cold weather-related illnesses and injuries since yesterday.
33.3% of those calls were from the scene of a street or highway while 14.3% were from private commercial establishments.
Arlington opens temporary warming center
The City of Arlington has opened the Beacon Recreation Center as a temporary overnight warming shelter in response to a south Arlington neighborhood not having adequate natural gas pressure to heat their homes.
According to the city, many homes in the Deer Valley Lane Community and surrounding area began experiencing low natural gas pressure Thursday evening.
Atmos is reportedly seeing improved gas pressure in the area, signaling the possible return of service for many residents.
The warming center will have cots available overnight.
MedStar cold weather calls
As of 3 p.m. Friday, MedStar reports they have made 37 responses for cold weather-related illnesses and injuries since yesterday.
Three of those calls were listed as serious. 35.1% of those calls were from the scene of a street or highway.
Oncor says brief, repetitive outages are intentional
Amid reports from North Texans about flickering power outages on social media, Oncor issued a statement reassuring customers that this is intentional.
Oncor said that the "brief, repetitive power loss" was part of an effort to keep their electrical equipment from being damaged due to high demand.
However, they also noted that crews are working "quickly and safely to restore outages" and suggested unplugging non-essential electronics to protect from possible surges.
When will we get above freezing?
Tomorrow afternoon, most of North Texas will warm a couple degrees above freezing!
But we are back to the 20s overnight on Christmas Eve, and then we really start to warm up from there.
More airline delays, cancellations reported
1 p.m. — FlightAware reports the following delays and cancellations:
DFW Airport
Total delays: 434
Total cancellations: 141
Love Field
Total delays: 179
Total cancellations: 49
Atmos asks customers to conserve natural gas
Atmos posted the following on its website, asking customers to conserve energy due to the cold:
"Due to extreme temperatures and high natural gas usage, Atmos Energy is urging customers to conserve natural gas usage during these extreme winter temperatures to help maintain gas service:
- Do not use your natural gas fireplace.
- Lower your thermostat to at least 68 degrees. Consider wearing additional layers of clothing and turning down the thermostat even lower.
- Businesses should minimize energy usage as much as possible.
- Lower the water heater temperature to 120 degrees, because it can account for as much as 25 percent of the energy consumed in your home.
- Unplug electronic devices and turn off lights that are not in use. By conserving electricity, you are also helping to conserve natural gas which keeps the power on.
- Reduce shower time and avoid baths. Showering accounts for about 40 percent of your home's hot water use.
- Refrain from using large appliances like your washer, dryer, oven, and dishwasher for the next few days. When in use, limit opening the oven door to prevent wasted energy.
- If you have a pool, do not use the pool heater. Instead, run your pool pump during the coldest part of the day to circulate the water and prevent freezing.
Atmos Energy also reminds everyone that if you smell natural gas or suspect a leak, to leave the area immediately and from a safe distance call 911 and the Atmos Energy emergency number at 866.322.8667."
More airline delays, cancellations
10:45 a.m. — FlightAware reports the following delays and cancellations:
DFW Airport
Total delays: 282
Total cancellations: 123
Love Field
Total delays: 121
Total cancellations: 45
Airports see more delays, cancellations
9:20 a.m. — FlightAware reports the following delays and cancellations:
DFW Airport
Total delays: 129
Total cancellations: 115
Love Field
Total delays: 84
Total cancellations: 45
MedStar receives overnight cold-related calls
6:57 a.m. — MedStar reports that they responded to 27 cold-related calls Thursday, seven of which were overnight.
Airports see delays, cancellations
6:25 a.m. — FlightAware reports the following delays and cancellations:
DFW Airport
Total delays: 48
Total cancellations: 97
Love Field
Total delays: 49
Total cancellations: 41
