Austin to open cold weather shelters with freezing temps coming
AUSTIN - With temperatures expected to fall below freezing overnight Sunday into Monday morning in Austin, the city will open cold weather shelters.
What We Know: A cold front is expected to move through Central Texas on Sunday and send temperatures tumbling to dangerously cold levels for days.
The City of Austin says overnight cold weather shelters will be available from Sunday, Jan. 5 through at least Thursday, Jan. 9.
How to get to a cold weather shelter
Registration for shelter will be each day between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. at One Texas Center at 505 Barton Springs Road.
Bus routes to OTC are lines: 1, 7, 10, 20, 30, 105, 142, 801. People looking for a cold-weather shelter who cannot pay the fare will still be given a ride.
People will be taken from OTC to a shelter.
A special after-hours service will be available for people in need of transportation to a shelter outside the typical period.
More on cold weather shelters
Austin's Homeless Strategy Office generally determines when cold weather shelters will be activated a day in advance.
The city and community partners will text information directly to individuals registered with the city's text alert system.
Shelters open when overnight temperatures at Camp Mabry are expected to reach 35 degrees or below.
Why You Should Care: Wind chills are expected to be in the teens and single digits on Monday morning.
The wind chills will be dangerous for people who cannot find a place to get warm.
(Source: National Weather Service)
Hypothermia is the most common winter weather killer.
Between 700 and 1,500 people in the US die every year from hypothermia.
Hypothermia Warning Signs
- Uncontrollable shivering
- Memory loss
- Disorientation
- Slurred speech
- Drowsiness