Tuesday marked a second cold weather day for Ector County ISD students and that weather impacted traffic around the Permian Basin. School will remain closed Wednesday.
Temps in the low 20s and some precipitation overnight on Monday left roads treacherous in the early morning hours. Wednesday’s forecast is not much better with the National Weather Service indicating that more precipitation (including a small snow possibility) could leave drivers Wednesday morning facing rough roads for the third day in a row.
ECISD issued an email to parents and teachers in the afternoon indicating school will be closed again Wednesday. On Monday night the district detailed that a two-hour delay was the plan for school Tuesday. However, by 6 a.m. Tuesday the decision was made to cancel school after black ice and other rough road conditions made travel precarious.
UTPB and OC as well as the City of Odessa and Ector County also shut down for the second day in a row. UTPB and OC have already announced plans to stay closed Wednesday. The OA will post other closings as quickly as they come in at oaoa.com.
Medical Center Health System had a two-hour delayed start on Tuesday and plans to do the same on Wednesday. Scheduled surgeries and procedures are not affected by the delay.
The National Weather Service in Midland detailed that the bulk of the freezing rain is expected overnight Tuesday through Wednesday morning. Many locations will remain below freezing until late in the afternoon, while portions of the Permian Basin may not get above freezing. Significant icing is expected and travel will be extremely hazardous, the NWS website detailed.
The roads were also hazardous Tuesday morning with the Texas Department of Public Safety reporting a crash near the Interstate 10/Interstate 20 split involving roughly a dozen vehicles and multiple injuries.
“Travel in West Texas is discouraged at this time due to icy roadways,” Sgt. Steven Blanco said in the release.
By Tuesday afternoon, the NWS was predicting that overnight Tuesday would be “almost a carbon copy of last night” with freezing drizzle developing across the eastern Permian Basin that will slowly spread west and intensify overnight.
The Wednesday morning temps are expected to be in the 20s. A light glaze of ice is once again expected through late morning and a Winter Weather Advisory for all of the Trans Pecos and Permian Basin is in effect. Heading into Wednesday afternoon, the upper-level trough begins to move overhead, temperatures may warm to just above freezing for much of the region, allowing for a changeover to normal rain during the afternoon and evening before temperatures fall heading into Wednesday night.
In Odessa, the Salvation Army was housing a couple dozen people and plans to keep the shelter open Wednesday during the day and night as well. Salvation Army officials were seeking donations of food and snacks to help feed those who were staying at the shelter. Want to help? Call 332-0738 or visit the shelter at 810 E. 11th St.
