Texas

City of SA, Bexar County offer winter weather tips

February 1, 2023
Victoria Lopez

SAN ANTONIO – A winter storm warning has been issued for the San Antonio area. The city, county, and partners strongly urge all residents to remember the Four Ps: people, pets, plants and pipes.

Temperatures will be right above or at freezing. Ice on ramps, overpasses, and elevated bridges is possible, causing hazardous travel conditions through Thursday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

People

Keep warm and dress in layers.

Check on family, friends, and neighbors who may be more vulnerable to this week’s cold weather or may not have access to housing and heating, including the elderly and those with special needs.

Additionally, the San Antonio Fire Department recommends the following:

Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from heating equipment, like the furnace, fireplace, wood stove or portable space heater.
Never use your oven to heat your home.
Never use a generator indoors.
Always plug portable heaters directly into a wall socket (no power strips).
Remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.
Never leave children unattended in a room with a space heater.
Install and maintain carbon monoxide alarms to avoid the risk of poisoning.
Test smoke alarms at least once a month.

Unsheltered Individuals

The Homeless Connections Hotline is available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., by calling 210-207-1799 for shelter resource information.

Haven for Hope offers safe, indoor sleeping accessible at all hours. Other providers, including Christian Assistance Ministry, SAMMinistries, Communities Under the Bridge (CUB) and Corazon Ministries are in regular communication with the Department of Human Services to ensure street outreach coverage across the city and share resource information.

Pets

Pets should be brought indoors and provided with a warm place to sleep. Farm animals and livestock also rely on their humans to protect them and keep them safe.

Have adequate food and water available for them. Animals need to eat more in cold weather to provide extra calories for heat energy.

During extremely cold temperatures, water will freeze. You will need to break up ice or replace frozen water with fresh water.

State lawdictates dogs cannot be tethered with any size chain at any time. It also states dogs cannot be left outdoors restrained and unattended in the case of officially defined extreme weather or situations in which an animal is in severe distress, including conditions in which the outdoor temperature is below 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

Animal Care Service Officers will be on patrol in the community. Potential violators can face impoundment of their pet, fines up to $2,000, and 180 days in jail for repeat offenders.

To report suspected violations, call 311 or 210-207-6000.

Plants

Plants should be covered or brought inside to avoid frost damage.

Pipes

To protect your pipes if temperatures dip below freezing, do the following:

Cover and insulate outdoor pipes. Local hardware stores have foam insulation and faucet protectors but wrapping pipes with rags or newspapers will do.
Allow one internal faucet to slowly drip to keep water moving in your pipes.
If your home has plumbing in cabinets on outside walls without insulation, leave cabinet doors open to allow warmer indoor air to circulate.

SAWS has created a webpage with infographics and how-to videos here.

WEATHER ON-THE-GO

With active weather this week and ice potentially impacting the Hill Country, Your Weather Authority will continue to update you. We’ll send notifications right to your phones, and you can see the forecast and check the radar by downloading the KSAT Weather Authority App for Apple or Android. ? Be sure to allow notifications for updates, including livestreams from KSAT meteorologists.

Download KSAT’s weather app for customized, accurate forecasts in San Antonio, South Texas or wherever you are.