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Texas grocery stores full of empty shelves before winter storm
If you're trying to shop for groceries ahead of the Texas winter storm, you might see more empty shelves than things to buy. FOX 4's Lori Brown has more.
DALLAS - If you're trying to shop for groceries ahead of this weekend's frigid North Texas weather, you might see more empty shelves than things to buy.
A lot of empty shelves
Empty shelves at a Kroger in North Richland Hills.
With the potential for temperatures to stay below freezing for days, no one wants a repeat of the power outages of 2021 Texas Winter Storm.
Kroger employees in North Richland Hills worked hard Thursday to keep up with crowds trying to stock up on supplies.
FOX 4’s Lori Brown visited a few North Texas grocery stores and saw a lot of empty shelves.
Empty shelves at a Kroger in North Richland Hills.
Some of the most picked over items? Ground beef, eggs, milk, fresh vegetables, and canned goods.
Customers that Brown talked to said their biggest priorities were non-perishable food and charcoal, things they didn't have when North Texas experienced a week of below-freezing temperatures in 2021.
What they're saying:
Empty shelves at a Kroger in North Richland Hills.
One shopper was on their sixth store as he tried to prepare for the winter storm.
I'm just looking for a loaf of bread to get me through the weekend," Lauryn Martin told Brown. "This is my 6th store I've been to today. I started last night but the shelves are all empty."
John Votava, Kroger's director of corporate affairs, said the company is much busier than usual.
We are busy, seeing an influx of customers, well above average, working hard to keep up with that demand," Votava said. "We have loads of groceries coming from the distribution center in Keller to all 107 stores in North Texas."
Some shoppers are prepping with hope of a Monday filled with snow.
"I teach high school, looking forward to maybe having Monday off," shopper Julie Quinn told Brown.
What you can do:
Your pre-snow (or ice) storm shopping list
Roughly 150 million Americans are under winter weather watches or warnings for extreme cold as a potentially catastrophic ice storm will stretch from New Mexico to the Carolinas.
Experts recommend having three days worth of non-perishable food in the event of a power outage.
Flashlights with fresh batteries, bottled water and a full tank of gas in your car will also help if you lose power for an extended period.
Dallas Weather Forecast
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Dallas weather: Jan. 22 afternoon forecast
Today is the last mild day before Arctic air takes over North Texas. Meteorologist Evan Andrews has your forecast and timing on the winter storm.
The National Weather Service has now issued a Winter Storm Warning for North and Central Texas starting at 6 p.m. on Friday and continuing through noon on Sunday. An Extreme Cold Warning will also be in effect from Saturday evening through Monday morning.
FOX 4 forecasters warn that North Texas may not climb back above freezing until Monday afternoon, meaning travel could be dangerous until Monday evening.
A full changeover to sleet and snow is expected across parts of North Texas late Saturday before the wintry weather ends Sunday, according to the NWS. Power outages are possible due to ice accumulating on trees and power lines.
What you can do:
If you are out shopping ahead of the winter storm, send us your pictures! We might feature you on our newscast or social media.
The Source: Information in this story came from FOX 4 reporting and the FOX 4 weather team.