On Sunday, January 25, 2026, a massive winter storm known as Winter Storm Fern remained in the middle of its path over the United States, causing widespread freezing rain, sleet, snow, and dangerously low temperatures on the Plains, all the way up to the Northeast. The extreme system has left over 1 million homes and businesses without power across the country, caused unprecedented flight cancellations, and compelled people to close their doors as they struggle against dangerous circumstances.
The low temperatures in Southeast Texas and the Houston metro region, along with leftover moisture, made conditions on bridges, overpasses, and highways hazardous. This caused an emergency warning to avoid unnecessary travel among the officials of Harris and Montgomery counties. The icy roads are being treated by TxDOT and local road crews, but the high ramps are particularly dangerous as the freeze continues.
Utility crews keep working on storm response. Thousands of local outages had been reported at CenterPoint Energy when crews were restoring service to tens of thousands of customers during the weekend. There is still the problem of flight cancellations and stragglers across major airports such as George Bush Intercontinental, which impacts passengers across the region.
Education has been greatly affected by this storm. Every district in Houston-area school districts (HISD, Katy, Clear Creek, Humble, Conroe, Cy-Fair, and dozens of others) canceled classes on Monday, January 26, because the conditions were considered unsafe over the weekend and temperatures decreased to dangerous levels. San Jacinto College and Lone Star College are some colleges that have also joined the chain of closures.
Houston City College (HCC) informed that all campuses will be closed until Monday, January 26, and plans to operate on Tuesday will be determined based on developments in the weather.
A peculiar effect of the extreme cold on early Sunday was when a water main burst outside a Whataburger in Uptown Houston, overflowing the restaurant as well as the adjacent sidewalks, heavily impacting the already serious traffic and walking conditions.
The forecasters predict that the chill will persist till Tuesday with wind chills that are much below average. Authorities are encouraging people to follow official warnings, ensure the safety of the susceptible groups, preserve pipes, and stay at home as much as they can because the region is facing this mighty winter storm.
