Killeen-area residents may wake up to record-breaking cold temperatures Wednesday morning.
The current forecast from the National Weather Service in Fort Worth calls for a temperature of around 41 degrees.
Based on data available since 1950, the lowest recorded temperature for the Killeen-Fort Hood area on April 21 was 47 degrees, which has been recorded multiple times but was last recorded in 2013.
High temperatures should climb back into the mid-60s by the afternoon Wednesday, but high temperatures are forecast to be about 10 degrees cooler than they are today.
Winds could gust up to 25 mph today and around 30 mph this evening.
As the week progresses, temperatures could warm up to the low to mid-70s.
The prices of lumber have doubled, and more, in the last year during the COVID-19 pandemic, causing building and developing costs to go up as well.
Fewer than 100 houses were on the market in the Killeen-Fort Hood area last week, and that can be contributed in part to developers struggling to get lumber and other building materials and the increased prices.
Don Farek, the owner of Cameo Homes, a local development company, explained how the prices have gone up and how it has impacted his business.
âThey are double what we have been paying,â Farek said about lumber prices.
He added that the 2-by4 studs that they use to build houses have gone from $2.60 each in May 2020 to $6.88 apiece now. Also, the 4-by-8 pieces of plywood that builders use to deck roofs have gone from $8.99 each to $38.92 each now.
Spring is in full swing in the Killeen-Fort Hood area, and with summer swiftly approaching, now is the time to celebrate. Visit the Monarch Festival to celebrate seasonal migration, the Heart of Texas RV Show to prepare for future vacations, local libraries for spring family fun, or a farmers market for seasonal products. Details for these events and more down below.
Local Events
The Temple Chamber of Commerce and City of Temple are hosting The Spirit of Santa Fe Trail from April 16- 18. Central Texas wineries and breweries will offer ticket holders either a wine tasting or a flight of beer at each location. The $20 trail ticket is valid for one offer at each participating location over the trail dates. Participating locations include 3 Texans Winery and Vineyard, Axis Winery, Dancing Bee Winery, Moose & Goose Winery, Red Caboose Winery, Bold Republic Brewing Company and Fire Base Brewing Company. Go to www.templechamber.com/spiritofsantafe.html for tickets and more information.
Housing prices continue to increase as availability decreases in Bell County
and last updated 2021-04-13 00:04:51-04
Fort Hood Area Association of Realtors says they are less than 100 active homes for sale in Killeen-Fort Hood area, far less than usual.
âA lot of people do an awful lot of home shopping virtually. Iâve even seen cases where people buy property site unseen. The first time they show up and see the house they re handed their keys in closing,â said Michael DeHart, executive for the Fort Hood Area Association of Realtors Association.
Experts say there are several reasons for the shortage, including an increase in companies buying homes rather than just families.
Home nationally have sold at a very high rate while locally very few homes are available for purchase.
Michael DeHart, the association executive for the Fort Hood Area Association of Realtors, tried to explain why the housing market is where it is in the Killeen-Fort Hood area.
âThe biggest issue in the current market is that there are not enough houses for sale. This results in multiple offers for each house, often driving the cost up,â DeHart said. âThere are currently 95 homes active in the MLS (Multiple Listing Service). Of those, 32 are priced at $200K or more.â
On top of the 32 homes at $200,000 or more, there have been homes sold in the Killeen area at $400,000 and $500,000 as well, but DeHart says this is nothing new.