Is It Safe to Drive Yet in Central Texas?
(Killeen, Texas) - It's been a whirlwind ride the past couple of weeks. First it was unseasonably warm, and now our cars are frozen solid. The weather this week has been icy and dangerous, and many of us either had to brave the roads to get to work, or found ourselves cooped up inside.
So the question on all our minds is this: Will the roads be safe to travel soon?
PLEASE BE SAFE OUT THERE, TEXAS
I saw an 18-wheeler literally flip over three times yesterday, and I’m still not okay. The question everybody wants to know though is whether is it safe to back on the roads.
I am not a trained meteorologist, nor do I know much about the weather besides what I have observed.
Fortunately, our news partners at KWTX are experts, and they had this to say.
FRIDAY COULD BRING RELIEF
The Winter Storm Warning we've been under for the past three days is expected to end Thursday morning at 9AM. Yes, that means another early morning of thawing, defrosting, and driving extra carefully is still in store for Central Texas commuters.
We're expected to get more rain tonight through about Noon Thursday, after which temperatures are expected to hover above freezing. Thursday's road conditions will remain slick and perilous.
Friday morning, any ice that lingered Thursday evening will have refrozen, but road conditions won't be quite as bad. (You should still be careful though, and give yourself plenty of time to get where you're going.)
However, the weather team at KWTX believes the ice will mostly be gone by midday Friday. Highs will get into the 50s Friday and climb as high as the mid-70s by Monday.
HEADS-UP: SOME SCHOOLS WILL REMAIN CLOSED OR DELAYED THURSDAY
You can see the full, current list of closures and delays here.
IS IT SAFE TO GO BACK OUTSIDE IN TEXAS?
Short answer: Not really.
Roads will remain icy until late Friday morning. If you have to go out of your house for an emergency like grabbing medication that is needed, or water for your family, then traveling outside of your home in this weather, unfortunately, may be a must. You just need to be extremely careful and let people know where you're going and how long you plan to be gone so they can call for help if they don't hear from you and direct emergency responders to where you may be.
If you were wanting to just leave your house because you’ve been cooped up for the last couple of days, I suggest not taking the chance.
For the Texans that were present in the 2021 winter storm, we know exactly how this plays out. Unfortunately waiting out the weather is the best way to stay safe. Just keep in mind it’s not worth it.
Check Out Snow Day Pictures From Listeners in Killeen And Temple
LOOK: We Loved Your Central Texas Snow Day Pics
Ten Weird World Records Set in Texas