North Texans Make Necessary Preparations as Cold Front Arrives

Monday's temperature swing caught some North Texans off guard, while others scrambled to their nearest hardware store to stock up on cold weather essentials.

In Fort Worth, the drop in temperature left some people surprised and dressed a bit lighter than they would have liked.

"I wasn't prepared, I went in for an interview and got taken out by the wind," Melissa Perkins said.

Strong gusts of wind made matters worse, sending boxes and other light debris tumbling. In Sundance Square, workers covered plants ahead of an anticipated freeze.

"I was like, 'Great, I'm going to Texas. It's going to be warm,'" said Marry Anne Prim, who was visiting from Virginia. "This is headed our way, this is what it's going to be like at home."

Doctor Todd Phillips with JPS Health said days like Monday usher in an increased risk of contracting a cold or the flu, but not because of the drastic swing in temperature.

"What we believe is happening is more people are staying inside as opposed to going outdoors and when people congregate inside you are breathing the same air and that’s how we transmit the virus," Phillips said.

Meanwhile, it was busier day than usual at Elliott's Hardware in Plano.

Shopper, Carol Reiv, didn't have to walk far to find the faucet covers she was looking for.

"I'm covering the faucets for our home and my neighbor, who's 81 years old," she said. "It's called being smart, just in case it gets colder than they said."

At a nearby gas station, some people said they didn't mind the weather and wind.

"It's short-lived. I don't think I could live in weather that goes on weeks like this. But a couple of days isn't bad," Suzanne Coverick said.

"It's not bad when the wind's not blowing. When the wind's blowing, even bundled up, it's cold,” said Vicki Henson, who stopped for gas.

Henson couldn't hide from the chill, as the temperature continued to drop.

"Unfortunately, I wake up on Monday, and I'm out of gas, so I'm spending my lunch break gassing up in the freezing weather," Henson said.

Over in some neighborhoods, the wind bit off branches, scattering them across yards.

Cold rain and wind couldn't dampen runner, Mark Bina's day.

"I run pretty much every morning. So the fact that it's a cooler, no big deal," Bina said.

He said he tied things down in his yard, but planned to keep running until the weather worsened.

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