Ice Cover

Overnight freeze leaves thousands without power

More than 10,000 homes and businesses were without power following an overnight freeze Jan. 28 that paralyzed the Rio Grande Valley. A cold front brought in freezing temperatures to the region late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning. Ice and rain wreaked havoc on the Valley’s electrical grid. As of 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, there were close to 7,100 homes and businesses without power in Cameron County. Another 3,100 power outages were reported in Hidalgo County. AEP Texas crews have fanned out throughout the Valley to restore power to affected areas. Crews are working to reopen Expressway 83 following an overnight freeze that paralyzed the Rio Grande Valley.Texas Department of Public Transportation (TxDOT) officials shut down Expressway 83 from Mission to Brownsville on Tuesday night.Officials feared overpasses and bridges would become dangerous amid plunging temperatures and ice. Parts of U.S. Highway 281 and U.S. Highway 77 were also shut down. But just after sunrise, temperatures started to rise allowing TxDOT crews to start removing barriers and allow crews back on the expressway. TxDOT officials said Expressway 83 completely reopened by 9:30 a.m. Wednesday.La Feria ISD began all classes at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 29th.There was a delay of two hours for the bus run from the regular scheduled morning route. The cover of ice seemed to protect most plants and they rebounded nicely after a slow warm-up on Wednesday. LFN Photos by MB Wright