Freezing rain, 15-degree wind chills possible for annual MLK March
Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and San Antonio is getting ready to host its annual MLK Day March. Up to 300,000 participants have shown up for the march in years past, making it one of the largest MLK Day marches in the nation
If you’re planning on attending this year, you’ll need to bundle up because it’s going to be one of the coldest days of the year in San Antonio. Be sure to stay updated with the forecast, too, because there is an increasing chance of light freezing rain and sleet in South Texas early Monday. Precipitation is not expected to be heavy, but just a few hundredths of an inch of ice can cause slick road conditions.
How cold will it be?
The highly anticipated arctic cold front will move through San Antonio on Sunday morning, and cold air will continue to move into the Alamo City overnight and into Monday. Low temperatures likely will fall to 25 degrees by 6 to 7 a.m. Monday. Winds of 15 to 20 mph will cause the “feels like” temp to fall closer to 10 degrees.
MLK Day March participants are able to start lining up at 9 a.m., and the march is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. By that time, temperatures will start to increase a few degrees, but wind chill values will still be between 15 and 20 degrees.
Freezing rain and sleet
The chance of light wintry precipitation is increasing. The arctic air will be quite shallow, meaning that snow is unlikely and the primary precipitation type would be freezing rain. In addition, the freezing rain would be very light, likely totaling just a few hundredths of an inch. However, that is enough to make roads slick and travel hazardous.
The window for wintry precipitation will be a short one. Freezing drizzle could start by late Sunday night, but the best chance will be early Monday, up until about 11 a.m. A bit of sleet also could mix with the freezing rain at times.
By the middle of the day, drier air will move into South Texas, ending precipitation chances. Temperatures climbing to nearfreezing, along with traffic on the roads, will help to melt any remaining ice on the roads.