Two persons were discovered deceased from hypothermia due to outdoor exposure to subfreezing temperatures.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS HGX wrote it up.
Two persons were discovered deceased from hypothermia due to outdoor exposure to subfreezing temperatures.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 1, 11:37 PM CST, 1 hour 8 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Houston/Galveston TX
1137 PM CST Mon Jan 1 2018
.AVIATION...
VFR. Scattered to broken mid to high level cloud cover as moisture
is lifted up over the state downstream of an passing U.S. Midwest
shortwave trough Tuesday. Weaker winds will come out of either the
north or northeast. A reinforcing (dry) front late in the period
will back winds more northerly with little strengthening. Be aware
that tomorrow's mid-level cloud depth of around 5k feet (or deeper)
within 0 C and -15 C may produce conditions favorable for icing.
31
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 921 PM CST Mon Jan 1 2018/
DISCUSSION...
Cloud deck between 5000-7000 ft is edging back into the region
from the west. Suspect this might keep some locations from meeting
the technical definition of the hard freeze warning (<= 24 for 2+
hours), but don't have enough confidence one way or the other to
adjust locations. Just tweaked temps to match obs and trends for
the evening update. 47
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
College Station (CLL) 21 34 19 47 24 / 0 10 0 0 0
Houston (IAH) 23 35 21 46 27 / 0 10 10 0 0
Galveston (GLS) 29 37 28 45 35 / 10 20 10 0 0
&&
.HGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
TX...Hard Freeze Warning until 9 AM CST Wednesday for the following
zones: Austin...Brazos...Burleson...Chambers...Colorado...
Fort Bend...Grimes...Harris...Houston...Liberty...Madison...
Montgomery...Polk...San Jacinto...Trinity...Walker...
Waller...Washington.
Wind Chill Advisory from 3 AM to 10 AM CST Tuesday for the
following zones: Austin...Brazos...Burleson...Chambers...
Colorado...Fort Bend...Grimes...Harris...Houston...
Liberty...Madison...Montgomery...Polk...San Jacinto...
Trinity...Walker...Waller...Washington.
GM...SMALL CRAFT SHOULD EXERCISE CAUTION through Tuesday morning for
the following zones: Coastal waters from Freeport to the
Matagorda Ship Channel out 20 NM...Coastal waters from High
Island to Freeport out 20 NM.
SMALL CRAFT SHOULD EXERCISE CAUTION through Wednesday morning
for the following zones: Waters from Freeport to the
Matagorda Ship Channel from 20 to 60 NM...Waters from High
Island to Freeport from 20 to 60 NM.
&&
Discussion...31
Aviation/Marine...47Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Houston/Galveston TX 506 AM CST Mon Jan 1 2018 TXZ163-164-176>179-195>200-210>214-226-227-235>238-021115- Austin-Brazoria-Brazos-Burleson-Chambers-Colorado-Fort Bend- Galveston-Grimes-Harris-Houston-Jackson-Liberty-Madison-Matagorda- Montgomery-Polk-San Jacinto-Trinity-Walker-Waller-Washington- Wharton- 506 AM CST Mon Jan 1 2018 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of Southeast Texas.. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight Very cold temperatures will prevail today and tonight with many areas struggling to warm to 40 degrees. Wind chill values will fall into the teens this morning and slowly recover this afternoon. A Hard Freeze Warning and Wind Chill Advisory remain in effect through 10 AM for the northern half of the region. An upper level disturbance will bring a slight chance of light rain or sleet today to areas south of an Edna to Bay City to Sargent line. No accumulations are expected. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday Another upper level disturbance coupled with a weak coastal trough will bring light rain or light sleet to areas around Matagorda Bay and along the coast on Tuesday. No accumulations are expected. Very cold temperatures will persist through Thursday morning with morning low temperatures falling into the 20's with wind chill values falling into the teens and low 20's. Additional Hard Freeze Warnings and wind Chill Advisories may be required over parts of Southeast Texas. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed. GMZ330-335-350-355-370-375-021115- Coastal waters from Freeport to the Matagorda Ship Channel out 20 NM-Coastal waters from High Island to Freeport out 20 NM- Galveston Bay-Matagorda Bay- Waters from Freeport to the Matagorda Ship Channel from 20 to 60 NM-Waters from High Island to Freeport from 20 to 60 NM- 506 AM CST Mon Jan 1 2018 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of Southeast Texas.. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight Strong north winds and elevated seas will persist today. A Gale Warning remains in effect for the offshore waters through noon and a Small Craft Advisory is in effect for the remainder of the coastal waters. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday A moderate offshore flow will persist through Thursday. Warm and moist air flowing over cooler shelf waters could bring some sea fog back to the coastal waters next weekend. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
One hypothermia fatality reported in the city of Houston. The body was discovered around 0700 local time on 301 Hamilton Street.
One hypothermia fatality reported in the city of Houston. The body was discovered around 0915 local time on 100 Richmond Avenue west of Spur 527 near Highway 59.
One hypothermia fatality reported in the city of Houston. The body was discovered around 0700 local time on the 300 block of Richmond Avenue.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Harris | 2018-01-02 | Outside/Open Areas | Direct | ||
| Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Harris | 2018-01-02 | Outside/Open Areas | Direct | ||
| Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Harris | 2018-01-02 | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, January 2018
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 736999, 737000, 739886.