As meteorologists keep track of an incoming cold front for the Rio Grande Valley, people in north Texas are already dealing with the cold weather.

And since the Valley shares the same power grid with them, local authorities are watching for any issues.

"We're always concerned about it because remember we're on a grid that covers the whole state of Texas, so if we're starting to have power outages we may end up like we saw a couple of years ago, so we're always trying to prepare for that," Cameron County Emergency Management Coordinator Tom Hushen said.

They want to avoid long-term power failures, and said it's best to turn off our heaters if there is a power outage.

"Because once the power restores, when you have everybody with their heaters on, there's an awful drain on that trying to restore the power," Hushen said.

Hushen said people can turn their heaters back on when power is restored.

Another safety reminder is to use proper heating devices to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. Emergency managers said do not leave your stove one or bring a charcoal pit indoors.

A spokesperson for Magic Valley Electric Co-op said their crews are monitoring weather conditions. Spectrum also warned its customers they're preparing for the possibility of outages during the storm.