Protect Your Pipes Before the First Freeze in East Texas

No freeze in the forecast this week.

That is exactly why this is the week to get ready.

The National Weather Service forecast for Gladewater, issued this morning out of the Shreveport office, has warm afternoons in the 70s through Veterans Day and then a cooler stretch, with the low dropping to 38 by Friday night.

Gladewater overnight lows this week (F)

Source: National Weather Service, Shreveport, forecast issued Nov. 8, 2026 ↗

Forecasts change. Check the NWS page before you plan around it.

But the trend is clear. The cold is coming down the road for Gregg, Harrison and Marion counties, and the rest of East Texas with them. The cheapest time to protect a house is before anybody needs to.

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension says it about as plainly as it can be said in its winter weather guide: it is always cheaper to prepare and prevent than to fix things. Their specialists recommend getting ready in October or November and keeping protections up through March or April, because most Texas freezes hit between late January and February.

Protect the pipes

These steps come straight from the Texas Department of Insurance winter safety tips and the American Red Cross frozen pipe guide:

1. Pull the hoses off the outdoor faucets and wrap those faucets.
2. Wrap pipes in unheated spaces. Think garage, crawl space, attic and anything along an outside wall. Pipe sleeves from the hardware store work.
3. Turn off the water to a washer in an unheated garage.
4. Find your main water shutoff now, while it is daylight and dry. If a pipe freezes, TDI says to turn the water off at that valve.
5. On the hard nights, open the cabinet doors under the sinks so the house heat can reach the pipes.
6. Let the faucets drip. TDI says to drip from both the hot and cold taps, or run water through your indoor faucets before bed. Follow any water limits your city puts out.
7. If you leave town before a freeze, TDI says to turn off the water at the shutoff valve and leave your heat on.

AgriLife adds a few more worth doing for country places: insulate the well house, shield pipes from direct wind, and drain lines that feed sprinklers or a pool.

One more from TDI that most people never think about. Ask your agent whether your home or renters policy covers sudden water damage from a burst pipe, because a policy might not pay if you did not take steps to protect your pipes.

Stay safe with the heat

Ready.gov's winter weather page is direct about this. Never heat your home with a gas stovetop or oven. Only use generators and grills outdoors, at least 20 feet from windows, doors and attached garages. Put a working carbon monoxide detector on every level of the house.

It also says to gather supplies in case you need to stay home for several days without power, and to keep a car kit with jumper cables, sand, a flashlight, warm clothes, blankets, bottled water and snacks.

Do not forget the animals and the garden

From the same AgriLife guide:

• Outdoor pets need a well-insulated shelter just big enough to trap their body heat, with deep straw bedding. Skip blankets and towels, which hold moisture.
• Watch for signs of hypothermia: shivering, pale gums, not wanting to walk.
• Water your plants before a freeze. Well-watered plants survive better than dry ones. Mulch two to three inches deep and cover tender plants with frost cloth.

The neighbor part

Ready.gov notes that older adults, children, people who are sick and pets are at greater risk in winter storms.

So here is the ask.

Think of one person on your road who lives alone. Maybe an older widow, maybe a veteran, maybe somebody just getting around slower these days.

This week, while the weather is nice, go by. Help pull the hoses. Show them where their shutoff valve is. Swap phone numbers if you have not already. Ask if they have a working carbon monoxide detector.

Then when that first hard freeze does show up, you already know who you are calling.

That is how East Texas has always gotten through the cold. One porch at a time.