Icy roads, freeze expected as cold front arrives
Temperatures are expected to remain below freezing Sunday after a strong cold front rolled into the area, according to the National Weather Service.
City and county staff readied their ice-weather gear and began preparations Friday, ahead of the front’s arrival.
Boerne Street Department salt trucks stood ready for deployment to hit frosty lanes Friday and this weekend, and crews positioned barricades across town to close ice-covered bridges and roadways, according to Chris Shadrock, city communications director.
Boerne Utilities crews “(were) inspecting power lines with infrared technology to identify any areas that could be susceptible to ice weather,” as well as trimming tree branches that could damage the lines, Shadrock said.
“We are encouraging folks to stay home Saturday and Sunday and off the roads, if they can.”
— Brady Constantine, Fire Marshal The city has created a page on its website to update residents to existing weather conditions: https://myboernenews. com/winter-weather/ Residents are also reminded to care for people, pets, pipes and plants, said Brady Constantine, Kendall County fire marshal and emergency management coordinator.
“We are encouraging folks to stay home Saturday and Sunday and off the roads, if they can,” Constantine said Thursday.
“My office is monitoring the weather in communication with (the Texas Department of Transportation) and the Texas Division of Emergency Management, along with keeping our (Commissioners) Court, (county) judge and all emergency services (informed) of condition changes,” he added.
TxDOT crews stayed busy Thursday and Friday pretreating major roadways, including Interstate 10 and Texas 46 in Boerne and Kendall County.
Precipitation expected to fall late Friday and into Saturday — when temperatures are plummeting — could stick around into Monday, meteorologists said.
Weather reports showed temperatures ranging from 25 degrees early Sunday morning to a high of just 30 degrees by 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. that day — not enough to thaw any ice or sleet that has accumulated on city and county streets, officials said.
The Patrick Heath Public Library, 451 N. Main St., is serving as a warming center Saturday and Sunday. Boerne Parks and Recreation closed public bathrooms on Friday and shut off water to prevent pipe breaks.
The weather service’s Winter Storm Warning covers Saturday and Sunday, while an “Extreme Cold Watch” encompasses Saturday night, all day Sunday and into Monday, when an eventual high of 40 degrees by noon to 1 p.m. is expected to kick off a thaw.
However, any remaining moisture could refreeze Monday night, as temperatures dip back below freezing, according to weather bulletins.
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