Bethany Fischer, right, washes her face as her husband Nic lies on a mattress while staying at a church warming center Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021, in Houston. The couple, who lost power at their home on Monday, are part of the more than 4 million people in Texas who still had no power a full day after historic snowfall and single-digit temperatures created a surge of demand for electricity to warm up homes unaccustomed to such extreme lows, buckling the state's power grid and causing widespread blackouts. (AP Photo / David J. Phillip)

The city of Houston’s Office of Emergency Management will open several warming centers due to the incoming cold weather this weekend.

Space City Weather says a cold front bringing above-freezing temperatures will arrive Sunday, but temperatures are predicted to reach the 20s Monday night into Tuesday morning. Temperatures will be the coldest Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. ERCOT has updated its winter watch to include Sunday, Jan. 14, but predicts its grid conditions will operate  normally.

Temperatures are expected to rise back to the 40s Wednesday afternoon, but in the meantime, here is everything you need to know about staying warm during the upcoming freeze.

Where are warming centers available?

The city and other organizations will open several locations for people to get out of the cold and into warmer temperatures Monday night. The warming centers will open at 3 p.m. Monday and remain open until 8 a.m. Tuesday morning. 

City locations: 

  • Acres Homes Multi-Service Center – 6719 W. Montgomery Road, Houston, 77091 – METRO: 44 – Acres Homes stop at W. Montgomery and Wilburforce
  • Denver Harbor Multi-Service Center – 6402 Market St., Houston, 77020 – METRO: 48 Market stop at Market and Rouse
  • Downtown Recovery Center – 150 Chenevert St., Houston, 77002 – METRO: 48 Market stop at Runnels and East Drive.
  • Fonde Community Center – 110 Sabine St., Houston, 77007 – METRO: 30 Clinton/Ella stop at Memorial and Houston
  • Metropolitan Multi-Service Center at W. Gray – 1745 W. Gray St., Houston, 77019 – METRO: 32 Renwick/San Felipe stop at W. Gray and Waugh
  • Sunnyside Health and Multi-Service Center – 4410 Reed Road, Houston, 77051 – METRO: 29 Cullen/Hirsch stop at Cullen and Wilmington
  • Magnolia Multi-Service Center – 7037 Capitol Street, Houston, 77011

Additionally, these organizations will be open as warming centers. Each location will reopen at 8 p.m. Tuesday night and remain open until Wednesday 8 a.m. unless indicated otherwise: 

  • Lakewood Church – 3700 Southwest Freeway, Houston, 77027
  • Alief Family YMCA – 7850 Howell Sugar Land Road, Houston, 77083
  • R.O.C.K. Church – 4101 Broadway Street, Houston, 77087
  • Greenhouse International Church (Open until Wednesday, Jan. 17)— 200 W. Greens Road, Houston, 77060
  • Star of Hope, Men’s Development Center — 1811 Ruiz Street, Houston, 77002. Star of Hope will also distribute blankets from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday through Tuesday.
  • Bayland Community Center — 6400 Bissonnet Street, 77074. Open through Wednesday at 9 p.m.

What options you have during the day

For those seeking shelter during the day, you can use any city facility during business hours. Additionally, the city advises people to seek shelter in public spaces like coffee shops, theaters and malls. 

All YMCA of Greater Houston locations will be available as warming centers during normal business hours. To find a location near you, click here. 

Will pets be allowed?

All city of Houston facilities will accept pets, but may require kennels. BARC will provide kennels.

How to book a ride to take you to a center

The city offers free rides to anyone who needs assistance. Simply dial 311 or 713-837-0311 to request a ride. 

Houstonians can also reach them online on their website and customer portal. 

Additional tips 

The city advises people with disabilities, access and functional needs to take the following steps to prepare for extreme winter weather: 

  • Ensure powered-mobility devices are fully charged each day.
  • Contact your family/support team so they know what assistance you may need.
  • Have a plan that includes both sheltering-in-place and evacuating, depending on what advice emergency officials give.
  • If you are on dialysis or other life-sustaining medical treatment, know the location and availability of more than one facility that can help you.
  • Organize and protect your prescriptions, over-the-counter drugs, and vitamins to prepare for an emergency.
  • Wear medical alert tags or bracelets. Also add pertinent medical information to your electronic devices.
  • If you have a communication disability, consider carrying printed cards or storing information on your devices to inform first responders and others how to communicate with you.
  • For parents with children, have infant formula, bottles, diapers, wipes and diaper rash cream
  • For people who are deaf or hard of hearing, use a weather radio with text display and a flashing alert. Also make sure you have extra hearing-aid batteries, and pen and paper in case you have to communicate with someone who does not know sign language.
  • For people who are blind or have low vision, mark emergency supplies with Braille labels or large print. Keep a list of your emergency supplies and where you bought them on a portable flash drive or make an audio file that is kept in a safe place where you can access it.
  • Keep communication devices for your particular needs, such as a Braille or deaf-blind communications device as part of your emergency supply kit.

For additional tips on taking care of yourself, pets, homes, power outages, check out the Landing’s guide to winter weather and power outages. 

If your organization is opening its doors to the public during the freeze, contact us at angelica@houstonlanding.org.

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Angelica Perez is a general assignment reporter on the Landing's education team. Her role primarily involves covering education news in five local school districts, helping families advocate for their...