ABC13 Weather Alert: Hard freeze, dangerously cold conditions Monday for Houston, SE Texas
ByABC13 Digital Team
Last updated: Monday, January 26, 2026 7:44PM GMT
Dangerously cold conditions led to a hard freeze Monday morning.
An Extreme Cold Warning is in effect for all of Southeast Texas until noon Tuesday. Temperatures will fall well below freezing by sunrise on Monday.
As the arctic airmass crosses our area, power and water outages and partial road closures have affected most communities north and west of Houston. Montgomery County experienced widespread outages by Sunday evening, officials said.
Many school districts and universities, as well as public offices and courts, are closed on Monday due to inclement weather.
The ABC13 Digital Team is tracking the latest developments throughout southeast Texas and delivering them through the live updates below.
Drivers in Cypress navigate around icy road conditions
On Sunday, navigating around the icy road conditions in frigid temperatures was the task at hand for many who live near Highway 290 in Cypress.
On Sunday, navigating around the icy road conditions in frigid temperatures was the task at hand for many who live near Highway 290 in Cypress.
The Cy-Fair Fire Department said that an overpass on State Highway 99 was covered in ice.
The flyovers to the Grand Parkway at 290 both inbound and outbound had to be shutdown.
Dale Hoagland and his wife were on their way to Galveston from Austin.
He told ABC13 that while he got to Cypress safely, the trip was off to a tough start.
Hear more from travelers and Cypress residents who braved the icy roads here.
ByRogani' Odems
Jan 26, 2026, 1:32 AM GMT
Downed utility pole found after Montgomery Co. facilities, residences lose power, officials say
Crews in Montgomery County discovered a downed utility pole in the area as several hundred residences and important facilities experienced power outages.
In a statement, Judge Mark Keough said that the Emergency Management team went to check the generators at the county airport after the Emergency Operations Center, several hundred homes, and airport suddenly lost power. When crews investigated, Keough said they found a utility pole that fell over.
Montgomery Co. Judge Mark Keough posted a picture of a downed utility pole near the airport after it, along with the Emergency Operations Center and hundreds of homes, lost power.
The judge said that a total of 1,790 outages have been reported.
Entergy has been notified of the outages, and they're working to restore the power, according to Keough.
Keough urged residents to treat all down lines as hot and to avoid being anywhere near them. Residents should report down lines to power companies or 911.
Dangerously cold conditions on Sunday night will lead to a hard freeze Monday morning
Temperatures on Monday will start in the low 20s, but they will feel more like the 10s due to dangerously cold wind chills.
Tonight's conditions will be a dangerous, pipe-bursting type of cold that will affect everyone in our area except Galveston Island.
The National Weather Service has issued an Extreme Cold Warning for all of southeast Texas, and it's important that everyone, pets, and livestock are protected to avoid hypothermia.
Read more on when we can expect to be done with the freezing weather in your Need to Know Weather update.
Jan 25, 2026, 10:46 PM GMT
School districts, colleges and universities across southeast Texas announce closures due to weather
Several school districts have announced that they will be closed on Monday as freezing temperatures move across southeast Texas.
Rice, University of Houston and Prairie View A&M University also join the list of schools that won't be open on Monday.
For the full list of upcoming school closures, click here.
