BEAUMONT, Texas — Southeast Texas began warming up after sunrise Wednesday with Beaumont still below freezing at 18 before before 7 a,m. but by 10:40 a.m. Beaumont had risen to 33.
Wednesday morning was the coldest with lows in the mid-teens in the Lakes area and in the upper teens in the Triangle. Wednesday’s long-duration freeze will last 14-16 hours in the Triangle, 18 hours across Hardin, South Jasper and Southern Newton Counties and 19 hours in Tyler, Northern Jasper and Northern Newton Counties. By the afternoon highs will rise to the mid 40s.
Updates
10:40 a.m.: Temperatures in Beaumont reached 33 while Jasper remained at 32.
Wednesday 6:50 a.m.: Temps across Southeast Texas remain below freezing with Beaumont at 18 and Jasper at 14.
Tuesday 1:40 p.m.: 12News meteorologist Kerry Cooper tells us that much of the southern portion of Southeast Texas is now above freezing.
Beaumont spent 27 hours below freezing, having hit 32 at 10:30 a.m. Monday, and climbed to 33 at 1:40 p.m. on Tuesday. Jasper on the other hand hit the freeze point at 2:15 a.m. Monday morning and is expected to stay below freezing until mid morning on Wednesday.
12:15 p.m.: Animal control officers around Southeast Texas were busy overnight dealing with dozens of reports of dogs being left out in the cold. The 2022 Safe Outdoor Dogs Act requires dogs in Texas to have adequate shelter including from subfreezing temperatures.
Animal control officers in Beaumont, Port Arthur and Orange told 12News Tuesday that none of their potential neglect calls were actual neglect. In all cases the dogs had a warm place to retreat to that the complainant could not see or were temporarily left out but not left out all night.
Where to warm up
- Beaumont city buses will run overnight to act as mobile warming stations
- Henry's Place at Some Other Place- 1107 McFaddin Ave, Beaumont
- Open at 8 a.m. Monday for 24-hour operations through Wednesday afternoon.
- The Salvation Army- 1094 McFaddin Ave, Beaumont
- Open once the temp drops to 40 and stay open through Wednesday when it warms up
- New World Harvest Church/Red Cross– 6366 Jade Ave, Port Arthur
- Overnight Monday & Tuesday, 5 p.m. – 8 a.m.
- Call (409) 983-8655 if you need a ride
- Port Cities Rescue Mission- 603 5th St, Port Arthur
- Overnight Monday & Tuesday, 5 p.m. - 8 a.m.
- Orange Church of God/Red Cross- 1911 N 16th St, Orange
- Overnight Monday & Tuesday, 5 p.m. - 8 a.m.
Be prepared
Check on your neighbors and check the antifreeze in your car during the cold weather. Also remember to “protect the four Ps” by checking on people close to you, bringing your pets inside, and protecting pipes and covering your plants.
Power Outages
For power outages in the Triangle area visit Entergy's outage tracking map.
Driving
Bridges and overpasses may ice up before any other roadways so use caution while driving. Check Texas driving conditions by visiting DriveTexas.org.
For road conditions in Louisiana visit 511La.org.
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This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.
