Turner on arctic blast: 'Please wrap your outdoor pipes, protect your plants and pets'

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner advised residents on Sunday to take certain precautions ahead of an arctic blast that’s forecasted to descend upon Texas ahead of the Christmas holiday weekend. 

“In preparation for hard freeze this coming Friday and lasting a few days, please wrap your outdoor pipes, protect your plants and pets, and … have extra bottles of water at home,” the mayor said in a tweet.

Houston NBC affiliate KPRC reported that the cold front will move in on Thursday and plunge temperatures to as low as the teens by Friday morning. 

Per the station, temperatures will stay below the freezing mark through at least Christmas Eve afternoon on Saturday. 

The average low from Friday to Christmas Day on Sunday is about 23 degrees Fahrenheit.

Winter Storm Uri – which at more than a year since still lingers on the minds of cold-weary Texans – has prompted a mad dash to hardware stores for winterization supplies. 

Houston ABC affiliate KTRK reported that several Houston-area businesses have sold out of cold weather supplies. 

“They're really looking for that sort of thing or anything else that we might have to wrap pipes with,” Bering's Hardware manager Farrell Benson said, KTRK reported.

According to Houston FOX affiliate KRIV, a spokesperson for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) said the state’s grid operator is prepared for this weekend. 

The spokesperson added that while issues aren’t expected this week, strong wind gusts could cause power outages in certain areas. 

The winter storm in February 2021 plunged millions statewide into darkness, with some having to endure a lack of electricity for at least a week.