Flurries Dust Austin as Arctic Blast Brings Season's Coldest Weather

Snow flurries fell across the Austin area on Wednesday morning as an arctic blast moved through Central Texas, bringing the coldest conditions of the season so far.

The snow was light and caused no disruptions, according to the National Weather Service. Meteorologist Jason Runyen said a small amount settled on some cars and grassy areas, but described it as "more just a wow factor" than a hazard. Any remaining snow was expected to thin out as the day went on.

The weather service has issued an extreme cold warning and a cold weather advisory that run through Thursday morning. Windchill has made temperatures feel like 10 degrees or lower. Forecasters also see a slight chance of precipitation from Friday night into Saturday morning.

Regional school districts do not expect to change their schedules because roads are forecast to stay dry. Austin ISD said it would leave heaters running overnight at its campuses so students arrive to "comfortable temperatures." The district cautioned in a Facebook post that some older, less insulated buildings may not hold steady temperatures in the extreme cold, and it asked families to send children to school in warm layers.

The City of Austin Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management is urging residents to look after what it calls the 4 P's: people, pets, pipes and plants. It advises dressing in layers, since windchill raises the risk of hypothermia for people outside for long periods. It also warns against heating homes with generators, grills, camp stoves or any device that burns gasoline, propane or charcoal, because these can give off odorless, colorless and deadly carbon monoxide. Pets should be brought indoors, exposed pipes insulated or covered, and plants covered or moved inside.

Runyen said a brief dip below freezing is not a major concern for plumbing because water in pipes takes time to freeze. With a hard freeze underway, though, he encouraged people to drip their faucets during the day.

David Gray, director of the Austin Homeless Strategy Office, said staff sheltered nearly 400 people overnight on Tuesday. Multinight activations typically draw 200 to 250 clients on the first night, he said, calling the higher figure "a strong indication that folks are looking for warm places to be." Cold-weather shelters will open again Wednesday and Thursday nights and could open Friday and Saturday depending on the forecast. The office expects demand to rise.

People can register for the shelters from 6 to 8 p.m. at One Texas Center on Barton Springs Road, and Capital Metro bus fare to the site is free. Under updated rules, the city opens overnight shelters when the forecast is 35 degrees or below. Because the shelters close in the morning, the city points people to warming centers, including Parks and Recreation facilities and city libraries, and recommends checking their hours first. The Central Library and Terrazas Branch will open at 7 a.m. Thursday and Friday as warming centers.

Austin-Travis County EMS took three people to local hospitals for cold-related illness, none of them severe. In Hays County, the Southside Community Center in San Marcos, the only overnight warming center there, plans to post updates on its Facebook page later in the week.