Cold, rainy weekend ahead
DALLAS - Brrr! People across North Texas will need to bundle up for a cold weekend.
THE FORECAST
The FOX 4 Weather team forecasts Saturday will stay cold with the clouds locking in the chill. The highs will barely get above 40. But the chance of rain is only scant and spotty. On Sunday, a better disturbance will come in with some light to moderate rain possible. It will still be in the 40s, though.
A weaker weather system will come through Monday with warmer air (highs in the 60s) and maybe a few showers or storms. Once that clears out, the weather pattern looks quiet into mid-week.
ROADS & OVERPASSES
The Texas Department of Transportation's crews were out Friday morning preparing the roads with a brine solution. The mixture of salt and water should help keep the roads free of ice and snow.
HELPING THE HOMELESS
Churches and shelters are being proactive about trying to get the homeless out of the cold. The shelters say during extreme cold, they are at capacity. Some non-profits that typically serve as daytime centers transitioned to 24-hour operations.
The homeless shelters in Dallas work together during times when it is dangerously cold outside to make sure that people have a warm place to go.
Patrick Palmer and Wayne Walker went tent to tent under I-45 in Dallas to let homeless people know that Our Calling day shelter would be open at night for refuge from the cold.
“It’s tough. It’s tough,” said Brandon League, who is homeless. “You try to get some sleep. You try to relax. You try to concentrate on a book or something. It’s just too cold to do anything.”
League is one of the 150 people seeking shelter at Our Calling in Downtown Dallas as temperatures are near freezing.
“People die out here. These people are worth living,” he said. “They’re awesome individuals, and places like this keep them going for another day.”
Friday night, The Bridge, Salvation Army and Austin Street shelters in Dallas are all at capacity, which is why Our Calling is opening its doors. It served dinner at sundown, and more importantly, was a safe place to sleep.
“Many of our friends may not survive this weather. They’re older folks with compromised immune systems and different challenges,” said Wayne Walker, Our Calling Executive Director. “We want to make sure they’re safe so we’re going to send out teams to look for people.”
Our Calling was open Thursday night, but has even more people in its facility Friday. They're not anticipating having to be open Saturday night as it warms up slightly.
Other local churches are helping people in need to stay warm with the temperatures dipping low outside. In Garland, Axe Memorial United Methodist Church set up a temporary shelter for the homeless. Volunteers traveled around the city to offer help to anyone they found outside.
STAYING WARM
As temperatures continued to drop, many preferred to stay indoors. But those who have to work outside all day made it through by bundling up.
“You definitely want to come prepared wearing the right clothing. Wearing at least a couple of layers of clothing. Definitely have to have gloves. You want to have a beanie,” said Carlos Barrera with Integrity Construction Dallas. “Some of these guys have a mask. Definitely the hand warmers, as well. Coffee or anything warm just to keep their bodies warm.”
Employees at Integrity Construction Dallas work year round, whether it’s more than 100 degrees out or freezing cold.
“People look at us and they’re like, ‘I can’t believe you’re working outside,’” Barrera said. “But believe it or not, we actually prefer to work during the cold than during the summer with the heat.”
Others are making adjustments for the cold, like at Jesuit Dallas. Administrators canceled freshman and JV soccer games and pushed the varsity game two hours earlier to help players and spectators avoid the worst of the cold.
“Your muscles get tense and you feel like you can’t really run,” said Diego Sierra, a Jesuit Dallas soccer player. “And then especially if the wind’s coming at you and you’re running against the wind. It just hits your face. When it hits your face, you feel like anytime you smile or do anything with your face, it just like falls off.”
With the sun barely peaking through the clouds, the Waxahachie girl’s JV soccer team battled Birdville. The 4:30 p.m. game ended in a tie. Players were eager to get off the field.
“It’s a little colder than we're used to right now,” said Waxahachie soccer player Cambrie Doyal. “It’s still a little earlier in the season, so it’s gonna take some getting used to.”
The boy’s variety team played in even colder temperatures. By the time the 6 p.m. game got underway, it was a bone-chilling 32 degrees.
“Whenever you’re out there, it’s not much of a difference because of the excitement of playing,” said Waxahachie player Jordan Beechum.
Devoted parents sat huddled together in the stands. Linda Redding’s son is a goalie.
“Their season is right during the middle of winter, so we deemed them the boys of winter,” she said. “You know you have The Boys of Fall, the Kenny Chesney song, but they have nothing on our boys.”
Redding says the key to standing warm is her “mummy sleeping bag.” For others, it’s a space heater and layers.
All of the parents agree a little cold won’t keep them from seeing their kid kick that ball across the soccer field.
For the JV game that started around 8 p.m., coaches cut down the half time to try and get the players off the field as soon as possible.