Space City Rewind: Houston’s Great Snow of 1895

Note: In our second installment of the Space City Rewind, we tackle the biggest snow on record in Southeast Texas. Our first installment about the November 1992 tornado outbreak can be found here.

“All of Wednesday night polar spirits swept the earth until boundless snow had deformed the withered heath and the people of this section for the first time within the memory of the oldest inhabitant, looked out upon nature fringed with a beard made white with other snows than those of age.” – Brenham Daily Banner, February 15, 1895

Back on Christmas Eve in 2004, much of South Texas was blanketed in white, as a perfect setup to create a miraculous White Christmas occurred. Galveston received four inches of snow, Angleton six inches, Friendswood three inches, and Bay City 8-10 inches. While the 2004 Christmas Eve miracle stands almost on its own for modern Southeast Texas snowstorms, the great Valentine’s Day snow of 1895 stands alone as Southeast Texas’s and the Gulf Coast’s greatest snowstorm of all-time. The following interactive map shows snow totals from this remarkable event, which affected a swath from Texas to Maryland.


Above: An interactive map with snow reports and some details from the 1895 storm

So why did this event occur? How disruptive was it for coastal residents? Will we ever see its like again? Put your feet up, because the latest installment of the Space City Rewind takes you back to the 19th Century: The Great Snowstorm of Valentine’s Day 1895.

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After cold spell Houston to warm up, face potential for heavy rain

Good morning. Houston is enjoying its coolest morning since late January, with lows in the low- to mid-40s across the region, but warmer air is on the way. And then, on Monday, heavy rain is possible.

Today

This morning’s northerly winds will swing back around to come out of the south later today, but the region should still see partly to mostly sunny skies, with highs of around 70 degrees. Lows tonight will be about 10 degrees warmer than those on Thursday morning.

Friday

A bit of a complicated forecast as overnight winds start to bring some Gulf moisture back into the area. In addition, conditions in the upper level of the atmosphere will favor rising air, which could generate some rain showers and possibly thunderstorms during the morning and early afternoon hours—especially along the coast.

Precipitable water values for Friday, at Noon, show where rain is most likely. (Higher values indicate more moisture for the atmosphere to work with). (Weather Bell)

The forecast for rain is fairly tricky, because while some areas may see some nasty little storms, most parts of the region probably won’t. With partly to mostly cloudy skies high temperatures should remain at around 70 degrees.

(Space City Weather is sponsored this month by Darrell Lee’s The Gravitational Leap)

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Cooler for a bit, and heavy rain likely returns next week

It’s quite a bit cooler across the Houston area this morning, with temperatures generally falling into the mid- to upper-40s for the region, except for along the coast where it’s a few degrees warmer. Enjoy this relatively brief bout of winter-like weather because it won’t last too long.

Today

Although a somewhat cloudy morning will give way to a mostly sunny afternoon, high temperatures will likely only reach into the low 60s. Gusting winds will die down this evening as lows tonight will fall into the 40s—lower for inland areas and upper for the coast. This will probably be the region’s coldest night for some time to come.

Much of east Texas is about 20 degrees cooler this morning than on Tuesday. (Weather Bell)

Thursday

Temperatures will moderate a bit on Thursday, as winds swing back from north to the south, but highs should still remain in the upper 60s. Lows will fall into the 50s.

(Space City Weather is sponsored this month by Darrell Lee’s The Gravitational Leap)

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Storms clearing Houston, and winter to make a brief return

Well, that was quite a morning. Not everyone saw severe weather in addition to a line of strong storms that moved through Houston, but there were at least three parts of the Houston metro area that sustained damage from winds and tornadoes. The National Weather Service says it is sending survey teams to look at the following areas for tornado damage:

  • Richmond/Rosenberg/Stafford: Structural damage to homes and offices
  • Wharton/El Campo: Damage to roofs and some fences
  • Van Vleck/Sweeney: Major home damage

As of 11:30am CT the storms had moved well to the east of Houston, skies were clearing, and temperatures were falling with the passage of a cold front that precipitated this morning’s storms. Temperatures near College Station were falling into the low 50s and the entire Houston area had sunk down to around 60 degrees.

Temperatures and winds at 11:45am CT on Tuesday. (National Weather Service)

 

This is the beginning of a cooler period that will last through about Friday morning. For much of the Houston area this will probably be one our last chances for nighttime temperatures in the 40s this season, so savor the cooler weather while it lasts.

(Space City Weather is sponsored this month by Darrell Lee’s The Gravitational Leap)

Posted at 11:55am CT on Tuesday by Eric