Oh, joy… Max is usually on the money, and this doesn’t look good.
I’m not too worried about ice and such here in north Texas, because we can just hunker down at home.
What worries me is that ice storms lead to frigging power outages and those, coupled with sub-freezing temperatures are no fun at all.
Let’s see how our fabled ERCOT system handles it, but based on past performance I’m not optimistic. (Back in 2014, we were without power for over three weeks. At times, I didn’t think we were going to make it because the cold was that intense.)
So I’ll be bringing in the SHTF infrastructure — gas cookers, water supplies, batteries and alternative power sources, not to mention stuff like industrial-strength flashlights and so on.
If this back porch of mine goes dark, it’s most likely because of no power, i.e. no Intarwebz. Be patient, and take care of yourselves. And run yer taps to guard against freezing pipes because trust me, you do not want to have to deal with that, in sub-freezing temperatures.
Last time this happened to us back in 2021, we lost our apartment and most of our household goods in floods from burst pipes, and were stranded in a hotel for four months while the complex was essentially rebuilt.
Comes from living in a climate which isn’t used to this kind of temperature extreme, I guess.
But right now I sure wouldn’t mind some of that global warming stuff we’ve been threatened with.
You can depend on your Mexican/African neighbors to understand what to do about cold weather spurts. Like leave the tap running.
If it gets that cold and I’m without power for a while, I just might identify as an illegal immigrant to get shipped somewhere warm for a few weeks then get my citizenship straightened out.