Winter storm brings heaviest snowfall in decades to areas of Texas
By
Lauren Fox, AccuWeather staff writer &
Renee Duff, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Updated Jan 13, 2021 9:25 AM EDT
A major storm on Jan. 10, dropped snow as far south as Austin, Texas, giving many Texans their first snow experience in nearly a decade.
A winter storm unloaded more snow in Texas than some areas have received in decades at the end of the weekend, with wintry scenes reaching Louisiana and Mississippi by Sunday night.
The snow, which AccuWeather meteorologists had correctly forecast since earlier last week, stretched all the way from the northernmost parts of Colorado beginning Saturday, to eastern Texas by Sunday.
The swath of heaviest snow, with 6-9 inches of accumulation in 24 hours, stretched from near Lubbock to Abilene and just west of Waco, Texas. The highest observed snowfall total was 11 inches in Denver City, Texas.
Waco, Texas, received 4.4 inches of snow on Sunday, making it the highest snowfall total the city has received since 1982 and the 10th highest 24-hour snowfall total on record, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). The snowfall on Sunday also smashed the daily record set back in 1973 of 1.1 inches.
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Snow-covered, slippery roadways were reported throughout the region, including along some of the major highways such as interstates 20 and 35.
But for those who didn't need to travel, the snow was mostly fun and games.
AccuWeather National News Reporter Bill Wadell interviewed some residents of Stephenville, Texas, who told him they haven't seen this much snow in years. Some residents were seen using the hood of a car as a sled for multiple people. Stephenville reported 8 inches of snow by Sunday evening.
Winter storm warnings stretched from New Mexico and Texas to Louisiana, southern Arkansas and Mississippi at the height of the storm over the weekend.
The worst of the storm stayed to the south of Dallas, where a rain and snow mix throughout Sunday led to only a trace of snow accumulating.
Farther south, however, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott posted a video on Twitter showing snow covering the grounds of the Governor's Mansion in the capital city of Austin. The city officially reported 1.3 inches at the Austin–Bergstrom International Airport, but just north of town, 3-5 inches of snow was reported.
Austin has now received more snowfall than cities such as Washington, D.C.; Paducah, Kentucky; St. Louis; and Little Rock, Arkansas.
Enough cold air wrapped in behind the storm for precipitation to end with a bit of snow and sleet as far south as Houston.
Two to 4 inches of snowfall extended into northern Louisiana, including Shreveport and Monroe, during Sunday night. Both cities average around an inch of snowfall in a year.
The NWS office in Jackson, Mississippi, reported 0.8 of an inch of snow before precipitation switched over to light rain on Sunday night.
The heavy, wet nature of the snow led to power outages for over 102,000 customers in Texas and over 50,000 customers in Louisiana by 7 a.m. CST Monday, according to PowerOutage.us. The power remained out for over 46,000 customers in Texas and over 15,000 customers in Louisiana on Monday night.
Forecasters say that below-normal temperatures will linger in the immediate wake of the storm, but those looking to go sledding or make snowmen or snow angels one more time will need to act fast. By Wednesday and Thursday, highs in the snowiest zones will be near to above average in the upper 50s to upper 60s F.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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News / Winter Weather
Winter storm brings heaviest snowfall in decades to areas of Texas
By Lauren Fox, AccuWeather staff writer & Renee Duff, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Updated Jan 13, 2021 9:25 AM EDT
A major storm on Jan. 10, dropped snow as far south as Austin, Texas, giving many Texans their first snow experience in nearly a decade.
A winter storm unloaded more snow in Texas than some areas have received in decades at the end of the weekend, with wintry scenes reaching Louisiana and Mississippi by Sunday night.
The snow, which AccuWeather meteorologists had correctly forecast since earlier last week, stretched all the way from the northernmost parts of Colorado beginning Saturday, to eastern Texas by Sunday.
The swath of heaviest snow, with 6-9 inches of accumulation in 24 hours, stretched from near Lubbock to Abilene and just west of Waco, Texas. The highest observed snowfall total was 11 inches in Denver City, Texas.
Waco, Texas, received 4.4 inches of snow on Sunday, making it the highest snowfall total the city has received since 1982 and the 10th highest 24-hour snowfall total on record, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). The snowfall on Sunday also smashed the daily record set back in 1973 of 1.1 inches.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Snow-covered, slippery roadways were reported throughout the region, including along some of the major highways such as interstates 20 and 35.
But for those who didn't need to travel, the snow was mostly fun and games.
AccuWeather National News Reporter Bill Wadell interviewed some residents of Stephenville, Texas, who told him they haven't seen this much snow in years. Some residents were seen using the hood of a car as a sled for multiple people. Stephenville reported 8 inches of snow by Sunday evening.
Winter storm warnings stretched from New Mexico and Texas to Louisiana, southern Arkansas and Mississippi at the height of the storm over the weekend.
The worst of the storm stayed to the south of Dallas, where a rain and snow mix throughout Sunday led to only a trace of snow accumulating.
Farther south, however, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott posted a video on Twitter showing snow covering the grounds of the Governor's Mansion in the capital city of Austin. The city officially reported 1.3 inches at the Austin–Bergstrom International Airport, but just north of town, 3-5 inches of snow was reported.
Austin has now received more snowfall than cities such as Washington, D.C.; Paducah, Kentucky; St. Louis; and Little Rock, Arkansas.
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Enough cold air wrapped in behind the storm for precipitation to end with a bit of snow and sleet as far south as Houston.
Two to 4 inches of snowfall extended into northern Louisiana, including Shreveport and Monroe, during Sunday night. Both cities average around an inch of snowfall in a year.
The NWS office in Jackson, Mississippi, reported 0.8 of an inch of snow before precipitation switched over to light rain on Sunday night.
The heavy, wet nature of the snow led to power outages for over 102,000 customers in Texas and over 50,000 customers in Louisiana by 7 a.m. CST Monday, according to PowerOutage.us. The power remained out for over 46,000 customers in Texas and over 15,000 customers in Louisiana on Monday night.
Forecasters say that below-normal temperatures will linger in the immediate wake of the storm, but those looking to go sledding or make snowmen or snow angels one more time will need to act fast. By Wednesday and Thursday, highs in the snowiest zones will be near to above average in the upper 50s to upper 60s F.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo