Photo submitted by Madison Smithey
Photo submitted by Grace Buse
Photo submitted by Scarlett Langway Bowling
Photo submitted by Maggie Loesch Davis
Photo submitted by Jennifer Keate
Photo submitted by Jessica Baker Maholick
Photo submitted by Kate McNeely
Photo submitted by Dalton Sweat
Wimberley temperatures dived into the teens over the weekend as an arctic front swept through the U.S. last week. The front brought severe cold, snow and icy conditions to much of the country including the East Coast, Northern Plains, the Midwest, Southwest and Southern Plains. On Friday, the front brought freezing rain, sleet and extremely low temperatures to the Hill Country. Extremely low nighttime temperatures persisted through Monday night.
Warming centers in Wimberley and Hays County opened their doors, offering relief from the bitter temperatures. Barnabas Connection supplied the Wimberley Valley with more than $2,500 worth of heaters, blankets, water and ready-to-eat meals and offered their facility as a warming center.
“Our primary focus is home preparedness,” said Barnabas Connection Executive Director, Kate Sowell. “We provide essential cold-weather supplies to help households stay warm, nourished and prepared without needing to travel during hazardous conditions. Helping residents remain safely in their homes reduces strain on local first responders by preventing avoidable emergencies.”
Pedernales Electrical Cooperative, which is the largest electric distribution cooperative in the U.S with more than 400,000 customers, reported minimal outages over the weekend saying their “system continues to perform well following this weekend’s winter weather.” PEC’s Chief Operations Officer of Distribution Nathan Fulmer thanked lineworkers “who have been working around the clock in challenging weather conditions to keep the power on for our members.”
Kids and teens delighted by the novelty of the wintery mix on the ground, made getting around a sport. Popular activities included making snow angels and sliding across slick surfaces on inflatable tubes, foam mats and plastic saucers.
While Monday brought mostly sunny skies, schools and government offices were closed as officials continued to ask travelers to stay off the roads to avoid icy conditions and to prepare for another 17 degree night. On Tuesday, Wimberley schools announced they would be closed again.
For the coming week, the National Weather Service predicted nighttime temperatures in the twenties and daytime highs ranging between 47 and 61 degrees for the Wimberley area.
