Katy-area residents dreaming of a white Christmas can expect a cold one, if not a white one, this weekend.

The National Weather Service said temperatures would begin dropping Thursday night, with a low expected around 17°. On Friday, skies will be sunny with blustery winds and a high expected around 30°.

Friday night, skies will be partly cloudy and the low expected around 20°.

Christmas Eve conditions on Saturday call for sunny skies and a high expected around 38°, the weather service said. For Saturday night, conditions are expected to be mostly clear, with a low around 23°.

Temperatures will begin warming up again on Christmas Day. The high is expected to be near 44° and skies will be sunny, the weather service said.

Christmas night calls for mostly clear skies and a low around 29°. Monday’s conditions call for sunny skies and a high around 55°.

The cold conditions are not expected to bring precipitation nor be as severe as Winter Storm Uri from February 2021. Still, Greg Goedecker, Katy city emergency management coordinator, said the possibility of power outages existed due to wind gusts.

Katy-area residents should be preparing, if they haven’t already, for the colder temperatures. Goedecker said area residents should take care of their pets, livestock and tropical plants. The cold temperatures could be fatal to the animals and damage the plants, Goedecker said.

Proper winterization is a key, Goedecker said.

“The important thing is to have proper winterization of exposed pipes and plumbing,” Goedecker said, adding that people with sprinkler systems should drain their lines, shut off their systems, and protect the pipe setups for those systems.

Goedecker said if Katy-area residents plan to go out of town for the holiday, they might consider shutting off their water supply to prevent any damage if the water pipes burst due to the colder temperatures.

Besides taking care of their pets, livestock and piping, Goedecker suggested that people limit their outside exposure, particularly on Friday morning with a dangerous windchill expected.

Goedecker urged residents to check on their elderly relatives and friends. They should also use their heating sources properly, he said.