Mother Nature is giving us a blast of winter weather. Winter Storm Inga is approaching and we are under a warning in the area until midnight.
So once the temperatures drop later this morning the roads are going to be an issue today. Deidrea George with TxDOT tells KTRH they have been getting ready for days.
“On Friday we began our pre-prep operations. We sent out our crews to pre-treat bridges and overpasses,” George explained.
So what will the 'hot spots' be?
“US 290, Highway 6, 610, 45,” George stated.
Harris County Judge Ed Emmett, getting ready for the storm, says if you don't have to be on the roads today then you should stay home.
“At this point we are urging everybody to err on the side of caution,” Emmett stated.
Drivers told our TV partner Channel 2 they know the roads will be messy.
“It will be hard to drive. It will be a lot slicker than it was before,” one driver stated.
This will be the third time this winter we've gotten some ice or snow. Eric Berger with Space City Weather dot com says we haven't seen this in over forty-five years.
“The idea of getting three in one winter certainly hasn’t happened in a long time,” Berger said adding that we are still on track for a warmer than usual winter despite this storm and the recent cold weather.
There is also the issue of our shelters and what they are doing to help those who either can't or won't get out of the cold as temperatures drop. Scott Arthur with the Star of Hope admits their resources are stretched.
“We are at capacity, but the center downtown is open 24/7. We could probably take more than 100 over capacity,” Arthur told KTRH News.
As for school closings, HISD, Katy ISD, Fort Bend ISD are all closed today. Most others in the area are as well. We have the complete list here.