City of Galveston, TX
01/20/2025 | News release | Distributed by Public on 01/20/2025 17:15
Monday, January 20: Winter Storm Update regarding City Services
The City of Galveston is providing our daily update ahead of the winter storm expected to arrive later this evening.
The latest forecast from the National Weather Service is forecasting 4"-6" of snow on the island Tuesday, and the region will be under a winter weather warning beginning Monday at 6 p.m. until Tuesday at 6 p.m. Temperatures are expected to remain at or near freezing through Wednesday.
EOC Open and Emergency Operations
The city will have essential personnel working to provide public safety and emergency municipal utility services throughout the event. The city has opened its Emergency Operations Center and residents may call 409-765-3710 with any storm-related questions.
If you have a water line break and need assistance turning off water to your house, please contact Municipal Utilities at 409-797-3630.
Traffic personnel will be monitoring roadway conditions and treating the roads where needed.
Police and fire services will operate as normal, and anyone experiencing an emergency is encouraged to call 911.
City Services
City facilities will be closed on Tuesday, January 21. This includes the recreation centers, the planning and permitting offices, utility billing and municipal court, among others.
Island Transit will close on Monday at 6:30 p.m. and continue through Tuesday.
Tuesday trash services are suspended due to weather conditions. This means trash service will be running two days behind the usual schedule because of the holiday and weather. Monday's route will be collected Wednesday, Tuesday's route on Thursday, Wednesday's route on Friday, and Thursday's route on Saturday. We will update residents if this schedule changes.
The Scholes International Airport will be closed beginning Monday at 6 p.m. until Wednesday at 12 p.m.
Municipal Court will also be closed Tuesday, reopening Wednesday. Those on the docket for Tuesday will be contacted about rescheduling.
Warming Center
The City is prepared to open a warming center in the event of prolonged power outages, however, there are otherwise not plans to open an overnight shelter.
The Salvation Army, 601 51st Street, will operate its overnight shelter for unhoused people. For those inelgible to stay at the Salvation Army, Central Methodist Church, 3308 Avenue O1/2, is opening an overnight shelter. People wishing to stay there must check in by 9 p.m.
Power and other notices
We are closely monitoring the weather and in communication with partner agencies, as well as CenterPoint Energy. The power company has more than 100 workers staged on the island to deploy as needed.
The Texas Department of Transportation is treating all major roads, including the Causeway Bridge. The city does not control or manage the Causeway Bridge and does not close the bridge.
We encourage residents to stay home unless aboslutely necessary. This could be a record-setting snow event and the roadways could be icy and dangerous.