North Texas parents, schools prepare for extreme cold as districts adjust plans

With an extreme cold warning and winter weather advisory in effect for much of North Texas, families closely watched to see whether school districts would cancel classes.

Most districts scrapped after-school activities, while some called off classes altogether due to the cold.

For parents whose districts held classes as scheduled, the priority was keeping their children safe and warm. They told NBC 5 they simply did what had to be done to make sure their children were bundled up and ready to go.

At Winnetka Elementary School in Dallas, parents waited anxiously for their children during dismissal for the brisk walk home.

Around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dallas ISD announced that classes would proceed as scheduled, with students and staff expected to arrive at their usual times.

By Wednesday afternoon, many districts had made decisions regarding outdoor after-school activities. Irving ISD sent an alert saying all outdoor activities had been canceled as district leaders continued to monitor the weather. DeSoto ISD also canceled after-school activities out of an abundance of caution, while Richardson ISD extended its outdoor activity cancellations through Thursday.

Districts advised parents to ensure students were dressed appropriately for arrival and throughout the day.

Fort Worth ISD said its schools would have heating systems running, with staff arriving early to prepare buildings. A spokesperson for Dallas ISD told NBC 5 that custodial team leaders arrive at campuses as early as 5 a.m. to ensure facilities are heated and properly equipped when students arrive.

The coldest air of the season is expected to last through Thursday, with low temperatures in the teens and wind chills near or below zero.

COLD WEATHER PREPARATION

Winterizing Your Home
Before the cold, replace worn weatherstripping on doors and windows to ensure a good seal. This will make sure warm air stays inside and cold air stays outside. Most modern windows are sealed inside the frame, but older windows may be sealed with a glaze that can crack and need replacing. The glaze may need to be applied above a certain temperature and it'll need time to cure -- this maintenance is ideally done in the spring or fall. Lastly, check your gutters to ensure they are clear and allow water to flow freely to the downspout. Blocked gutters can lead to water entering the home.  The Texas Department of Insurance also recommends trimming trees away from power lines, homes, and cars and checking the insulation level in attics.

Protecting Your Pipes
Most North Texans know to insulate their outdoor faucets, but if the cold snap is prolonged it could be a good idea to also leave inside faucets on external walls dripping overnight so that they don't freeze. The drip, drip, drip from running faucets, if heard, can be annoying, so put a sponge or towel in the sink to silently catch each drop. If you're leaving town for a few days, the Texas Department of Insurance recommends leaving cabinet doors open so that pipes on external walls are more exposed to heat. If you have pipes in an attic or crawlspace or any other exposed pipes outdoors, they'll need insulation, too. For external faucets, disconnect hoses and insulate the valves. Wrapping valves with towels is not the best long-term solution. Most, if not all, North Texas hardware stores sell inexpensive exterior faucet covers made of foam that easily attach to the faucet bib in just a few seconds and do a great job protecting the pipe from freezing. If you suspect a pipe has frozen, keep the faucet open so that water can flow when it melts. Additionally, make sure you know where your main water valve is located (and how to turn it off) in the event a pipe bursts.

Bring in Your Pets
Even if you have a pet or animal that normally lives or sleeps outdoors, they could be susceptible to cold, hypothermia, and pneumonia. The SPCA of Texas says if you're cold outside, odds are your pet is cold too. Bring pets inside and make sure other outdoor animals have appropriate shelter, dry and well insulated, to protect them from frigid temperatures and possible death.

Protecting Your Plants
Perennial potted plants should be brought indoors. Plants that cannot be brought inside will need to be covered. Delicate plants can be covered with sheets, blankets, or landscaping frost blankets, which can trap heat. During times of extreme cold, multiple frost blankets may be used. For plants left outside a day or two before a freeze hits, the Dallas Arboretum recommends watering the soil only by hand, keeping the foliage dry to insulate the plant's roots. The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension has more here on how to protect plants from frosts and freezes. AgriLife also has tips on how to plant for the winter.

Dallas Arboretum

Dallas Arboretum

Turn Off Your Sprinkler System
You want to turn off your irrigation system for several reasons. One is that you don't want it running on its normal schedule, potentially throwing water on streets where it can freeze and be dangerous for passing cars. Second, you don't want to risk any broken pipes or valves that may come with a system that has not been winterized. To winterize your system, the city of Fort Worth recommends that timers and back-flow devices both be turned off, even if you have freeze or rain sensors installed and that the main line be drained. Any pipes that are above the ground should also be insulated.

HVAC
Many air filters should be changed or cleaned every three months or every season. But that's not the only winterizing needed for your HVAC system. You should check your ductwork regularly for holes (whether from vibration or rodents) to ensure the airflow is uninterrupted. If part of your HVAC is in the attic, it may also be home to rats, mice, and squirrels who find the unit's warmth an ideal spot to build a nest.

Swimming Pools
Even if you have a freeze protector among your pool equipment, you'll want to look at the pump daily to ensure it's moving water through your pipes. Those pipes, too, can burst if they freeze.

Batteries
Having fresh batteries for flashlights during a power outage is always a good idea.  If you didn't replace the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors during daylight saving time -- now is a good time to make the switch. It's also a good idea to ensure your phone is charged so that you'll have access to timely information in the event of a power loss. Having a backup battery or power source to recharge your phone is also a good idea.