Tucson Water received more than 100 calls from customers with frozen pipes, and a family of four is without a home after starting a fire trying to keep their cats warm.
But most Tucsonans fared better in the colder weather.
"About 90 percent of the 157 calls we got were freeze-related," said Fernando Molina, spokesman for Tucson Water. "Probably the plumbing froze overnight and burst and as it thawed out."
Saturday's official low was 25. The high was 47.
The numbers don't compare to a brutal cold snap two years ago, when a couple of people died, thousands of Tucsonans went without heat and scores of water pipes burst across the city.
The record-breaking 18-degree low then was one degree shy of becoming the coldest February temperature in all of Tucson's weather-keeping history.
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"I think people were much better prepared this time around," Molina said.
Near-record-cold temperatures are expected for this morning, with the hard freeze continuing through at least Tuesday morning, the National Weather Service says.
Overnight temperatures through Tuesday morning will range from 15 to 25 degrees in western areas and in the single digits to teens in eastern areas. The coldest time, with hard-freeze conditions, is 11 p.m. to 9 a.m.
A couple and their two sons weren't able to sleep in their home Saturday night after a fire damaged the back of their house and the attic.
The family set up a heat lamp and blankets on their back patio bench to keep several cats warm. Fire investigators think the lamp fell onto the blankets or they were too close to the heat source, said a news release from the Northwest Fire District.
The fire, ruled accidental, caused about $15,000 in damage.
Crews arrived at the home near North Thornydale and West Orange Grove roads at about 8 a.m. and within 14 minutes were able to extinguish the fire.
Northwest Fire urges residents to be fire-safe when trying to stay warm in this cold weather, and recommends leaving three feet of space when using interior space heaters and never leaving a heat source on when you're not awake and not in the room.
Across the border, Vicente Sanz, chief of the civil protection unit in Nogales, Sonora, said the city has been preparing for colder weather since early in the week.
A state of emergency was declared in 20 Sonoran cities, including Nogales and Agua Prieta. Shelters were opened, and schools were closed Friday.
Temperatures in the Nogales area tend to be several degrees lower than in Tucson. The low this morning was expected to be about 13 degrees.
Love it or hate it, the colder weather won't last long.
"Usually the worst-case scenario is between now and the next couple of weeks," said Mic Sherwood, meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
How to prevent, thaw frozen pipes
• Wrap exposed pipes and plumbing with insulation, available at plumbing-supply and home-improvement stores.
• Use temporary insulation, such as towels or blankets, if a better option isn't available.
• Winterize your irrigation system, backflow prevention assembly and evaporative cooler.
• If you need the water meter valve turned off, call Tucson Water at the emergency number at (520) 791-4133 or Customer Service at (520) 791-3242 (after 8 a.m., Monday through Friday).
Source: Tucson Water
FORECAST FOR TUCSON
• Tonight: mostly clear, with a low around 24.
• Monday: sunny, with a high near 43.
• Monday night: mostly clear, with a low around 25.
• Tuesday: sunny, with a high near 45.
SOURCE: National Weather Service
Contact reporter Perla Trevizo at ptrevizo@azstarnet.com or at 573-4213. On Twitter: @Perla_Trevizo.
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