It's official! First freeze chills North Texas on Halloween
DALLAS - A cold front pushed the temperature at DFW Airport down to 32 degrees early Thursday morning, making it the first official freeze of the season.
Thursday morning's freeze warning lasts until 10 a.m. Wind chills across the region are expected to be in the low 20s for most, and in the teens for some outlying areas. But the sun will warm things up back into the low 50s by afternoon and the winds will calm down in time for a chilly Halloween night.
Many North Texans are now wondering what happened to the fall!
Typically the first freeze doesn't occur until just before Thanksgiving. This year instead, North Texas seems to have gone straight from summer to winter.
Cold Weather Shelters Open
Cold weather shelters began opening up Wednesday night as temperatures approach the freezing mark.
The early blast of cold weather is coming as a shock to organizations like Our Calling in Dallas, which hasn't fully stocked up on supplies for the homeless. Many of those supplies come from donations.
The Bridge, Oak Lawn United Methodist Church and Our Calling all work together North Texas has freezing temperatures and make sure there are places for the homeless to be warm. But this year, the cold weather came sooner than usual. People who help the homeless are asking for help.
“Coming even earlier than we anticipated is rough on us,” said Patrick Palmer with Our Calling. “We haven't done coat drives. We haven't done blanket drives.”
Our Calling put out the alert Wednesday that its doors will open as an emergency shelter early Thursday morning into Friday. Hundreds of homeless people are expected to seek refuge there. Before the doors even open, there are concerns about how they will be served. Our Calling only has about a hundred heavy blankets.
“We're working off of last year's supplies, which are already depleted. Things we had leftover that people gave us at the end of the cold season, which are already depleted, they're already low numbers,” Palmer said. “Then we have our staffing. We have to bring in our staff. We have to hire our security. We have to bring in food.”
On Wednesday, Our Calling staffers organized the blankets and coats it does have. Even still, there are efforts to get as many homeless people to the facility and out of the cold as possible.
Our Calling has recently developed an app, as many homeless people do have access to phones. It shows which shelters are open, how many beds are available and directions on how to walk there.
They are really pushing for donations right now and are asking for heavy blankets, coats and other items that are always useful like underwear, socks and sweatpants. They can be dropped off at their facility.
Plano Senior High Homecoming Parade
The homecoming parade Wednesday for Plano Senior High School revealed who really has school spirit.
The Plano families take the annual homecoming day parade seriously. But this year, preparing for the event wasn’t just about readying the floats. The high of 44 tied a record low-high for Oct. 30 set back in 1993. And the wind was perhaps the worst part of it all.
Despite the frigid feeling temps, the parade was something seniors didn't want to miss.
Maryann Bush came out to watch her son and daughter. They just moved from Virginia and weren’t quite expecting this from Texas.
“People told me it wasn’t going to be like this until Thanksgiving, so I’m in shock,” she admitted.
As shocking as it might be, those involved said it’s all worth it when they see the joy of the kids.
“Seeing their faces light up is what makes it all worth it — even in the cold,” said Kaylin Kelly, a Plano Senior High teacher.