Surfs up in January 2024 or are we going to be pouring sand and salt on everything for four days? I’ve looked at several webpages to determine what kind of winter we could experience in early 2024.
One webpage has January-February 2024 looking like the massive Ice event of 2021. Ultimately, only God knows what will happen and to what extent but based on the Farmers Almanac (which accurately predicted the 2023 summer) says winter should be super cold and super wet for the Central US including North Texas.
Mid-January could bring some of the most volatile conditions, with extreme cold and storms pummeling the Lone Star State. A major winter storm – such as the one we experienced in February 2021 – can’t be ruled out.
Source
And if that holds true then the early spring predictions are just as grim hinting to strong March storms affecting the majority of the United States.
If you live in North Texas you saw the power company tree trimmers out butchering tree’s all summer long. Well they do this in anticipation of significant weather.
For the past few years we have seen a La Nina weather pattern but this winter we go back to an El Nino pattern which calls for wetter and colder.
What can we do today?
Prepare! Prepare! Prepare! If the predictions are accurate then take this as your advanced warning and start preparing now! Lets also not forget we are going into an election which will come nine months after all this. There is no telling what kind of bad, nasty is going to happen before the elections so maybe double prepare.
You can sit in the cold wrapped in blankets with ice forming under your nose or you can buy a gas generator and be a little more comfortable until power crews restore your electricity. Electrical restoration after an Ice storm can be as little as a few days to several weeks. And in -20 degree temps, a day or two can seem like an eternity. By having a generator you can also keep 5 gallon bottles of water from freezing which will ensure you can eat and drink. Buying a 4 person 72 hour emergency food bucket might be a good option as this is dry, dehydrated food that just requires a splash of water to prepare.
Keep vehicles topped off with gas, I used my truck for heat in 2021 a lot. I didn’t sleep in it but I did go sit in it for an hour every few hours, without that I might have become a frozen neanderthal to be discovered by some alien race 200 years later.
Buy batteries and battery operated radios, Solar and hand crank radios could be beneficial also. In addition it would not hurt to stock up on heavy winter blankets instead of these cheap, thin blankets we keep for summer.
Now you could also pull a Ted Cruz and hop a plane to Mexico. That could be a good deal as long as your not a local politician and Medico isn’t still on the State Departments travel advisory list.
Texas winter weather can be brutal but it never lasts long. In 2022, we were blasted with a wave of snow and ice crippling us for about three days. Withing 10 days we were back wearing shorts and flip flops. What I fear is the aggressive cold fronts hitting the warm tropical air producing Fall and early winter tornados like we have experienced the last few years from late October to late December.
Here is a really good PDF download from the National Weather Service giving you a winter preparation checklist in the event winter weather does strike.
Emergency Response will be problematic in the region during a major winter storm because response times will draw out from twenty minutes to at least an hour. While Bonham will run its ambulances and as of last year used tire chains, what was a twenty minute response to Ladonia took over an hour. Air Ambulances won’t fly in ice and snow due to icing problems. All types of aircraft need to be deiced before flying in ice and snow. Deicing is a timely process and its both safer and easier to just not fly for a day or two rather than risking a flight crew.
Having a well stocked first aid kit on hand could be your saving grace against cuts, sprains, burns and other minor issues. Now a fall I would still consider an emergency but just keep in mind the ambulance response time if the roads are iced over.
Most all weather events can be managed through preparation. If you just aren’t sure what to get or how to survive a Winter Texas Storm reach out to your local fire department or do a web search. Both ideas will give you a good idea of what you can do now so that you can sleep warm and eat well while everyone else around you is starving and freezing.