Houston Braces For Deep Freeze And Icy Roads This Weekend

Houston is bracing for a rare and potentially dangerous winter storm this weekend, as meteorologists and city officials ramp up warnings about freezing temperatures, icy roads, and the risk of power outages. After a week of mild, muggy weather, a powerful Arctic front is set to sweep across southeast Texas, bringing with it the coldest air of the season and a host of challenges for the region’s residents and infrastructure.

At a City Council meeting on January 21, 2026, Houston officials laid out their multi-pronged plan to protect the city’s critical services and keep residents safe. The city is taking no chances after past experiences with cold-weather failures, such as power plants that failed to start up when needed most. "We feel really good about the position to be ready to go," the City’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) assured, emphasizing that maintenance crews will be on standby throughout the event. The city has already begun testing power plants to ensure readiness, a lesson hard learned from previous winter events.

Houston’s sprawling network of 16,000 roads presents a unique challenge during winter weather. It’s simply not possible to treat every street, so city leaders are focusing their efforts on 41 critical areas most prone to icing—especially elevated roadways and bridges, which freeze first. Seven brine apparatuses and fifteen trucks will be deployed to pretreat these key routes, with operations set to begin 24 hours before the freeze hits. Residents are being urged to stay off the streets during the worst of the cold snap, as even the best-laid plans can’t guarantee safe passage everywhere.

Preparation advice has been clear and specific: drain lines before the freeze to protect home water systems, but do not drip faucets, as this practice can strain the city’s water supply. "We ask Houston not to drip the faucets. Call 311 if you have issues," city officials stated, noting that widespread dripping can impact the overall health of the water system. With forecasts calling for approximately 48 hours of below-freezing temperatures, Mayor Whitmire advised residents to be ready to stay home from Saturday morning through Tuesday afternoon.

According to Space City Weather, confidence is growing that most of the Houston metro area—except for the immediate coast—will see a hard freeze this weekend. Temperatures are expected to plunge to 25 degrees Fahrenheit or lower on the nights of Saturday, January 24; Sunday, January 25; and possibly even Monday, January 26. Some inland communities, such as Katy, Cypress, and The Woodlands, could see the mercury dip into the upper teens. The advice from meteorologists is straightforward: take action now to protect pipes and plants, and be ready for hazardous travel conditions.

The city is not just bracing for cold, but also for the possibility of freezing rain, which could create treacherous conditions on roads and sidewalks. Freezing rain is expected to be most likely to the west and north of Houston, in counties such as Waller, Grimes, Montgomery, and Liberty. For those living closer to the coast, the jury is still out, but officials warn that the threat of ice in Harris County and central Houston is real enough to warrant contingency plans. As Space City Weather put it, "It is distinctly possible with wet roads and falling temperatures." Mobility impacts could begin as early as late Saturday afternoon, so residents are being told to factor this into their weekend plans and be ready to remain in place if necessary.

The lead-up to the storm will be deceptive, with mild and wet conditions through Friday. Showers are expected across the region on Wednesday, January 21, with highs near 70 degrees and little indication of what’s to come. Thursday and Friday will remain warm and muggy, with scattered showers and highs in the low 70s. But as the cold front approaches Friday night, temperatures will fall sharply, and the stage will be set for the weekend’s wintry blast.

Saturday’s forecast remains uncertain in terms of timing, but most models suggest the cold air will arrive by sunrise or midday. While daytime temperatures in Houston may remain above freezing, areas to the north and west could see freezing temperatures as early as Saturday afternoon. The critical question is whether the precipitation will linger as the cold air arrives; if so, freezing rain could create icy patches or even widespread ice on roads, especially Saturday night into Sunday morning. Lows Saturday night are expected to fall into the 20s, with colder readings farther from the coast.

Sunday, January 25, is projected to be the coldest day of the event, with highs struggling to rise above freezing for much of the area. Even as precipitation tapers off, the risk of icy roads will remain, and officials caution that mobility could be severely limited. "It just really shuts the city down, and so, this is something that if the forecast does come to pass, it’s really going to create serious mobility issues this weekend," Eric Berger, a meteorologist with Space City Weather, told the Chron.

Justin Ballard, meteorologist at the Houston Chronicle, highlighted another major concern: power outages. If freezing rain accumulates more than a quarter-inch in a day, the risk of outages grows significantly. "Parts of southeast Texas, especially north of I-10, are going to be seeing some pretty significant…freezing rain totals as things stand right now," Ballard said, though he cautioned that much uncertainty remains about exactly where the worst conditions will develop.

Despite the ominous warnings, experts agree that this event is not expected to rival the devastation of Winter Storm Uri in February 2021, which left millions without power for days and resulted in a tragic loss of life. "Right now, it does not look like we’re in store for anything to that magnitude," Ballard said, pointing out that Uri was marked by nearly nine days of persistent cold—something not anticipated this time. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has stated it "anticipates there will be sufficient generation to meet demand this winter." Still, officials are urging residents to winterize their homes, check on vulnerable neighbors, and prepare for the possibility of outages just in case.

Matt Moreland of the Houston/Galveston National Weather Service Office advised residents to remember the “four P’s”: people, pets, pipes, and plants. With an 80 percent chance of a freeze in Harris County Saturday night and wind chills possibly dropping below 20 degrees on Sunday, the threat is real. Bridges and overpasses are especially vulnerable and will be among the first to freeze, so extra caution is advised.

By Monday, January 26, some relief is expected. While lingering ice may remain on roads in the morning, sunny skies and highs in the upper 30s should help thaw most of the region by afternoon. The rest of the week looks to bring more moderate winter conditions, with highs in the 50s and lows in the 30s—but the memory of this weekend’s freeze will likely linger for some time.

As Houston faces down another Arctic blast, the city’s preparations, clear communication, and lessons learned from past storms may make all the difference. Residents who heed the warnings and prepare now stand the best chance of weathering the storm safely.