Texans react to state’s huge snowfall
Deep in the heart of Texas, and in every county around it, winter has made its mark.
While many parts of the U.S. are facing especially wintery conditions right now, it’s fairly unprecedented for a large part of the Lone Star State to get much snow, let alone for all 254 counties in Texas to be under a winter storm warning, as they were over the Valentine’s Day weekend. Another storm is anticipated on Tuesday.
“Oh, you know just your normal snow on the beach in Galveston, Texas,” tweeted Illinois meteorologist Kevin Lighty with a photo of the snowy coast.
Oh, you know just your normal snow on the beach in Galveston, Texas. pic.twitter.com/wm9z8gZ1po
— Kevin Lighty – WCIA 3 Chief Meteorologist (@KevinLighty) February 15, 2021
And here’s an image of the situation at the Alamo, from user Gloria DeLeon. “Do you remember….. the last time you saw the @OfficialAlamo covered in snow???” she asked.
Do you remember….. the last time you saw the @OfficialAlamo covered in snow??? ❄️ P.S. the Alamo ranger is out here, too! #Snowmageddon2021 #SanAntonio #texassnow @KABBFOX29 @News4SA pic.twitter.com/898A5LeX1e
— Gloria DeLeon (@gloriadeleontv) February 15, 2021
It’s been many years since Austin saw big-time snow on Valentine’s Day — 126 years to be exact. CBS Austin anchor John-Carlos Estrada shared some photos from that long ago snowy day on Twitter.
❄️💕 SNOWY VALENTINE’S DAY! One of the last big snow storms to hit Texas on Valentine’s Day was 1895! Austin got about 6” and Houston around 20”!
MORE PHOTOS & INFO HERE: https://t.co/OJ95jfAD6d pic.twitter.com/UvzX1inh0F
— John-Carlos Estrada (@Mr_JCE) February 14, 2021
Needless to say, Texans seemed to be reacting on social media in equal parts excitement, bewilderment and worry, with lots of snow selfies in the mix. Rolling blackouts due to snow and ice affecting power supplies left many without heat or electricity, with frozen pipes, and experiencing icy road conditions in the record-low temperatures. The unusual weather is causing problems in places that don’t contain the infrastructure to deal with issues related to the cold.
Some made light of the situation, like this video posted to Twitter by @TheIRLTitan showing mock shock at the snowy conditions.
Texans encountering snow for the first time.#Texas #Snowday pic.twitter.com/CxMyqIRJ0J
— Justin Juggles Jotunns (@TheIRLTitan) February 14, 2021
“I think my aunt’s birdbath is an excellent representation of the state right now,” tweeted @gtfo_paige, sharing a photo of a snow-covered, Texas-shaped birdbath.
I think my aunt's birdbath is an excellent representation of the state right now. #SouthTexas #texassnow #texas pic.twitter.com/OpDAFeUQuQ
— 𝙙𝙖𝙙𝙙𝙮 𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙜𝙚 (@gtfo_paige) February 16, 2021
Over on Facebook, Rhett Price joked about Texans’ unfamiliarity with how to deal with this much snow. He compared states used to snowplowing their way back to work with Texans who “don’t do that here.”
Lots of fun videos and photos of pets out playing in the snow popped up, like this one of @RealRuggle’s “Texas Snow Leopard” cat.
I've spotted a Texas Snow Leopard!!!#CatsOfTwitter #Cats #Snowmageddon2021 pic.twitter.com/rT2VpDdZAS
— Ruggles Da Cat 🐾 (@RealRuggle) February 15, 2021
However, those originally from colder states seemed unfazed, like this ex-Wisconsin resident making snow angels in a T-shirt and shorts that @gmdgeek tweeted a video of.
Wisconsin transplant in Texas #TexasWeather #texassnow pic.twitter.com/NMh9gwlJVd
— GMDGeek (@gmdgeek) February 15, 2021
Stay warm, Texans! How would you react to unexpected weather in your area?