Snow flurries fall across El Paso, at Sun Bowl

Diana Washington Valdez and Aaron Martinez | El Paso Times

Update:

Snow flurries have hit the Borderland earlier than expected and almost every area of the city has seen some action, including the fans at the 82nd Hyundai Sun Bowl game who are dealing with the cold.

According to the National Weather Service, it is about 47 degrees in El Paso with a wind of about 14 miles per hour. The El Paso area is expected to get about 3 to 6 inches of snow Saturday.

National Weather Service officials originally issued a winter storm warning Friday stating that El Paso area could see colder temperatures and snow after 5 p.m. Saturday into Sunday night.

Snow flurries have been reported since about noon in Downtown, West, Central and East El Paso.

Las Cruces, Cloudcroft and Silver City have also received snow showers.

Original:

A big chill is expected to blast into the El Paso region over the weekend, possibly dumping snow and sending temperatures below freezing, the National Weather Service reported.

“It’s going to feel like winter,” said Tom Bird, meteorologist for the National Weather Service based in Santa Teresa. “Snow is expected to fall around Saturday evening and continue Sunday. The West Side may see one to two inches, and the East Side around two to four inches.”

Bird said El Paso is getting hit with two shots of cold weather, one from the Pacific Northwest and another one making its way from Canada and through Northern states like Utah and Colorado.

“The snow and ice are likely to affect air travel, with some delays, especially as the winter storm moves further east and grows worse,” Bird said.

By Monday, the highs could only reach the upper-30s to low 40s and the lows could drop into the low 20s or colder.

Prompted in part by cheaper gasoline prices, more than 7 million Texans are making road trips during the year-end holidays, according to the AAA Texas travel service. That can also increase the chances of motorists getting stranded on snowy roads during the winter blast.

Blanca Del Valle, spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Transportation, said TxDOT crews have been out pre-treating major roadways before the snowfall begins.

“We treat the roads before the expected snow with brine, a combination of salt and water. This process slows down the possibility of roads freezing,” Del Valle said. “Once the snow starts falling, it activates the brine and melts the snow.”

The city’s Streets and Maintenance Department is also working to reduce potential road hazards because of the weather.

City crews were spreading sand and salt on roadway surfaces to keep ice from forming on them, city officials said.

Priority will be given to arterial roadways, bridges and overpasses, and to those roads that serve as routes to hospitals, firehouses and police stations. Response efforts also will be coordinated with the city’s emergency management and state transportation partners.

“Keeping the main roadways clear for the traveling public is our priority during a weather event,” said Ted Marquez, director of the city’s Streets and Maintenance Department. “We are staying vigilant and will continue to monitor weather conditions to respond appropriately.”

Two of El Paso’s biggest shelters are filled up but will make room for anyone who still needs a warm place to stay during the cold snap, according to staff at the Rescue Mission of El Paso and the Opportunity Center for the Homeless.

“There’s still room if someone needs to come in from the cold,” said Armando Torres, who was in charge of the front desk Friday at the Opportunity Center on Myrtle Avenue.

Scott Taylor, desk clerk at the Rescue Mission on West Paisano, said four children were among the residents staying at the shelter Friday.

“They started coming in last week. It seems like they’ve all heard about the weather changing,” Taylor said. “We’re at capacity, but we won’t turn anyone away. We received donations of blankets, jackets, socks and gloves, all of which help.”

Bird said the low temperatures in the forecast for Monday and Tuesday could drop into the teens. So far this year, El Paso has recorded 11.12 inches of rain, above the annual normal of 9.56 inches of precipitation.

The El Paso Water Utilities recommends tips provided by the American Red Cross to prevent pipes from breaking during freezing temperatures:

Insulate exposed pipes and faucets outside and around the home, including those in unheated areas like the basement, garage, attic or crawl space. Follow manufacturer instructions.

including those in unheated areas like the basement, garage, attic or crawl space. Follow manufacturer instructions. Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing. Remove harmful chemicals from the reach of children and pets.

to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing. Remove harmful chemicals from the reach of children and pets. In severe cold, let cold water drip from the faucets served by exposed pipes. Running a drip of water through the pipes helps prevent pipes from freezing because the temperature of the water is above freezing.

Running a drip of water through the pipes helps prevent pipes from freezing because the temperature of the water is above freezing. If pipes break inside the home, EPWU encourages immediately turning off the water at the meter to avoid further damage and water waste. A video explains how to do this at YouTube.com/EPWU.

The Humane Society of the United States recommends protecting pets from the cold by bringing them indoors and keeping their paws clean of salt and other chemicals used to melt ice. See more tips for pets at humanesociety.org.

Diana Washington Valdez may be reached at 546-6140; dvaldez@elpasotimes.com; @eptimesdiana on Twitter.

Aaron Martinez may be reached at 546-6249; aamartinez@elpasotimes.com; @amartinez31 on Twitter.

Online: Send your weather photos to webdesk@elpasotimes.com.

Updates: Get the current weather forecast at elpasotimes.com/weather.