Martin Luther King Day Parades Postponed Amid Arctic Blast

Arctic weather conditions have forced organizers to scrap plans for Martin Luther King Day across Texas for "public safety" reasons as bitterly cold weather takes a grip.

Two parades in Houston—one in Downtown and another in Midtown—have been postponed as residents across the state brace for extreme winter temperatures. Monday's MLK Boulevard trail ride in southeast Houston will also be re-scheduled, according to the Houston Chronicle. Dates have yet to be announced for when the events will take place. Meanwhile, the Dallas MLK Parade—which was due to take place on Monday—has now been postponed until Saturday, January 20.

It's been a tough year of two weather extremes for Texas, after the state was crippled by intense heat over the summer before a bitter winter set in that has continued into 2024. But experts fear that climate change is set to make extreme weather patterns worse, with a number of researchers and scientists previously giving Newsweek their grim predictions for the future. Many believe that more thunderstorms and floods are likely, along with tornadoes, hurricanes and droughts.

This week, the weather forecasts and predictions of sub-zero temperatures have hit the plans of thousands of residents in Texas, who were planning to celebrate the life of civil rights activist Martin Luther King.

Houston Mayor John Whitmire broke the news on Sunday night that the parades had been postponed, saying: "I made this decision based on the advice of Houston Police Chief Troy Finner, HFD Chief Sam Peña, and George Buenik, director of the Mayor's Office of Homeland Security and Public Safety, who all agreed that postponing the parade is in the best interest of public safety for parade participants, observers, and first responders."

Residents were urged to stay at home where possible, and to check on elderly or vulnerable neighbors and friends. People with furnaces were also reminded to have them inspected regularly because of the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning in faulty heaters.

The warnings come as much of the country is preparing for similarly cold conditions, with the misery due to last all week and into next weekend.

"Dangerously cold temperatures continue across much of the U.S.," the National Weather Service warned on Monday, adding that heavy lake-effect snow is set to remain a problem in the Great Lakes region, while "snow and freezing rain continue over the Southern U.S. today."

The forecast went on to say: "The main theme to our weather story over much of the Lower 48 remains the brutally cold temperatures and associated significant wintry weather.

"Little has changed with the 'take-home' message regarding the dangerous cold entrenched over the U.S, as sub-zero air temperatures and even colder wind chills prevail through tomorrow before another Arctic blast arrives late this week.

"This means one more day of frigid wind chills dipping below minus 30 across the Plains states, and minus 50 in Montana and the Dakotas.

"As we approach mid-week (Wednesday), the initial Arctic air mass will moderate, leading to below average (but still cold) temperatures east of the Continental Divide. Unfortunately, another surge of frigid Arctic air is expected to plunge southward out of Canada later this week, which could lead to more of the same dangerous cold weather across the Midwest and Deep South by the end of the work week."

Residents should check their local weather forecasts for the most accurate and up-to-date picture in their region.