SAN ANTONIO — Next week is expected to bring historic cold to the San Antonio area when a polar front arrives, dropping the mercury past 20 degrees as below-freezing temperatures settle in for multiple days. ERCOT has issued a Weather Watch ahead of the arctic blast and the city is expected to announce preparations of its own.
Putting that in San Antonio terms: Pull out the serapes and get the caldo going.
The cold front comes through this weekend, with the coldest conditions expected Tuesday morning – Martin Luther King Jr. Day – when the Alamo City will see a low of 18 and a high of just 41 degrees. It'll also be cold on Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, with a low of 22. That means thousands taking part in the city's annual MLK March will have to bundle up in layers as they trek through the east side.
Just how common is it for San Antonio to see sub-20-degree conditions in January? Turns out, not common at all.
According to historical data from NOAA, this would mark just the third time since 2000 that San Antonians experienced temperatures in the teens during the first month of the year. The last time was Jan. 8, 2017, when the low was 19 degrees, and Jan. 9, 2010, when the mercury dipped to 16 degrees.
On 44 other days in that span, San Antonio recorded a daily low of below 30 degrees in January. That includes a sustained stretch of freezing temperatures in January 2010, when the city saw four straight days of lows at 25 degrees or lower.
Next week should add two more days to that total, with lows of 22 and 18 degrees expected on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.
Coldest January days since 2000 in San Antonio
- Jan. 29, 2022: 29
- Jan. 3, 2022: 26
- Jan. 2, 2022: 27
- Jan. 24, 2019: 29
- Jan. 17, 2018: 22
- Jan. 16, 2018: 26
- Jan. 14, 2018: 28
- Jan. 3, 2018: 21
- Jan. 2, 2018: 29
- Jan. 1, 2018: 26
- Jan. 8, 2017: 19
- Jan. 7, 2017: 20
- Jan. 6, 2017: 25
- Jan. 8, 2015: 28
- Jan. 29, 2014: 28
- Jan. 24, 2014: 27
- Jan. 7, 2014: 22
- Jan. 6, 2014: 27
- Jan. 3, 2014: 28
- Jan. 16, 2013: 29
- Jan. 22, 2011: 28
- Jan. 21, 2011: 27
- Jan. 11, 2010: 25
- Jan. 10, 2010: 21
- Jan. 9, 2010: 16
- Jan. 8, 2010: 22
- Jan. 5, 2010: 29
- Jan. 2, 2010: 29
- Jan. 14, 2009: 28
- Jan. 20, 2008: 26
- Jan. 3, 2008: 29
- Jan. 2, 2008: 27
- Jan. 16, 2007: 29
- Jan. 17, 2005: 29
- Jan. 27, 2004: 29
- Jan. 24, 2003: 27
- Jan. 18, 2003: 25
- Jan. 17, 2003: 28
- Jan. 3, 2022: 22
- Jan. 2, 2022: 28
- Jan. 22, 2001: 29
- Jan. 20, 2001: 26
- Jan. 4, 2001: 28
- Jan. 30, 2000: 26
- Jan. 29, 2000: 29
- Jan. 5, 2000: 23
>TRENDING ON KENS 5 YOUTUBE: