Roads could freeze north of San Antonio, bitter wind chills expected in the city

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch that covers most of the Hill Country and Austin due to frozen precipitation accumulation from one-quarter to one-half inch late Wednesday night through Thursday afternoon.

Boerne, Blanco, Fredericksburg, Junction and Kerrville are among the cities included in the watch area. San Antonio and New Braunfels are not in the watch area, but forecasters cautioned that may evolve as an arctic cold front pushes into the area. It is expected to blow through South Central Texas by Wednesday afternoon.

Daytime highs in the San Antonio area are not expected to rise out of the 30s on Thursday and Friday. The coldest of the cold front for the city will be around dawn on Friday and Saturday with temperatures in the lower 20s and even lower wind chills. The wind chill on Friday morning could dip to around 9 degrees. It will be in the teens on Saturday morning.

Boerne appears to be the southernmost cut off for frozen precipitation to possibly stick. Forecasters said the city northwest of San Antonio on I-10 will likely see rain and freezing rain, possibly mixed with sleet before noon on Thursday. The chance of precipitation for the Hill Country town on Thursday is around 60%. The high there was not expected to get above 30 degrees.

San Antonio also has a 60% chance of frozen precipitation on Thursday, but air and ground temperatures are expected to remain too high for accumulation.

Motorists are advised to use caution on bridges and overpasses, especially in the watch areas across the Hill County and in the Austin Metro area.

Texas Department of Transportation

One glaring characteristic in the forecast is the length of a hard freeze for the Hill County. Forecasters said some locations could see freezing temperatures for 60 hours straight, so precautions should be taken to protect pipes, pets and plants.

The wind chill will be brutal across South Central Texas on Thursday and Friday. Forecasters advised residents to dress in warm layers and to wear hats, gloves and boots.

Temperatures will warm to the 40s on Saturday and into the 50s on Sunday in San Antonio.

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