Stickied post/Megathread Idea: NOW is the time to prepare for the freeze next week.

People, don't wait until Sunday or Monday to hit up the Home Depot or Lowe's for materials to insulate your outdoor pipes. If they're not sold out, it'll be a real madhouse.

If you want to visit the brick-and-mortar outlets, better do it today. Or you can order online and have your stuff before the weekend.

Of course, you can use newspapers and/or rags and duct tape. Just be sure your exposed plumbing is protected.

Be sure you're ready. Two nights with sub-freezing temps are coming and that's going to break some pipes and kill some plants. Let's have all the "should I wrap my pipes or drain my plumbing?" questions HERE.

There are countless YouTube videos on how to prepare your sprinkler system's backflow preventer, and there will be dozens if not hundreds of them broken next week despite how easy it is to prepare them.

Right now it seems unlikely that there will be widespread power failure, but this is the gulf coast and everyone should have some kind of backup plan for when power fails.

If you have a gas furnace, it doesn't take a LOT of electricity to run that fan, but without the fan, your house will be cold. Look into a generator and how to connect it so you'll be able to at least run your furnace.

Finally, if you do get a generator, remember that carbon monoxide kills people every time there's a freeze in an area that doesn't freeze often. You can't run 'em in your garage or near your living space.

If you know a shut-in or someone who might need a little extra help during difficult times, check in with them. Make sure they're going to be warm next week, if you can.