A powerful arctic cold front is set to blast through the Plains and sweep across the South early next week, posing threats from record-breaking low temperatures, wintry precipitation and strains on infrastructure.
Temperatures across northern Texas and Oklahoma could plummet 40 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit below normal for mid-January by Monday behind the front’s leading edge gusting down from Canada.
Extended periods below freezing will stress power grids struggling to meet spiking heating demand. Subzero wind chills ringing in well below zero threaten hypothermia and frostbite dangers after just minutes outside.
Agricultural operations across South Texas face crop damage risks amid the unusually bone-chilling cold for the region lasting multiple days.
Any wintry precipitation falling atop the cold air mass will further snarl travel, shutter schools and businesses unaccustomed to and ill-equipped for such conditions.