Texas has a subtropical climate. Depending on the region, it can be humid, temperate, or dry. That’s the theory. In practice, the residents of Texas face every type of weather. Tornadoes and hurricanes are common (the largest hurricane in U.S. history occurred at the beginning of the 20th century in Galveston, Texas, along the Gulf of Mexico, claiming over 8,000 lives). People in Texas are exposed to unbearable heat with temperatures over 45°C (113°F) in the shade, as well as sandstorms, snowstorms, heavy rains, and earthquakes.
However, the biggest disaster is the drought. It’s hard to call something that happens cyclically and usually lasts several years a “disaster.” It’s more like the nature of the place. Such a climate… Droughts can last for several years, and then residents face not only water shortages but also problems with crops and livestock. Snow in Texas is also not unheard of. In some regions, it happens every so often. Notable years when the state was covered in a white blanket include 1981 and 1961. The difference is that back then, there wasn’t the kind of extreme cold that hit in February 2021. No one expected such extreme weather.
In the second half of February 2021, the temperature across the state dropped to minus 18°C (0°F). The cold lasted almost a week and literally paralyzed the lives of residents. Such cold in Texas can be compared to a situation where temperatures over 45°C (113°F), typical for Texas, hit Poland. The media would report the number of elderly deaths, as they wouldn’t survive such extreme temperatures. There would be fainting, infrastructure failures, and panic. Texans kept their cool, but their standard of living temporarily worsened. No one expected such weather, but the worst part was that neither the authorities were prepared, nor did any warning systems activate, the infrastructure didn’t hold up, and no one knew what would happen, even after the temperatures returned to positive values. Texas has no snowplows or tradition of salting and sanding roads in case of snow. No one was prepared.
The consequences of such a temperature drop were deeply felt. For most of the time, the internet was down. Some people were without power for up to five days. Wind turbines and power generators froze, and the infrastructure failed. When the power went out, water pumps stopped working, and water systems froze. No one had designed the infrastructure to withstand such cold. Some people were without water for over a week, and many for even longer, because once the cold snap ended, it was revealed just how many pipes had burst and how much needed to be repaired to restore normality. Many stores were closed, and others were open for just a few hours a day.
For an extended period, over 4 million people were without access to water, so they used melted snow for washing. They collected snow in pots and heated it up. Some were also without drinking water supplies, which were impossible to buy in stores, so they drank “snow water.” Many gas stations were also closed. Gas pumps froze, and wind turbines froze up. The media announced that electricity prices would rise from $0.10 to $9 per kilowatt-hour. No one could imagine such increases. A lot of poorly stored food froze, and food stores had spoiled goods because there was no electricity, and refrigerators and coolers stopped working. Some people moved from their homes to hotels because, if they didn’t have heating, air conditioning, or a fireplace at home, that was the only place they could stay warm.
Wild animals were heavily fed and, for the most part, managed to cope with the dramatic cold. The situation was different for cold-blooded animals like rattlesnakes and other species of snakes. Their population suffered greatly. The Coast Guard rescued thousands of turtles, which were transported to land and gathered in places where they could warm up.
For several days, many businesses and institutions were closed. The situation on the roads was catastrophic. Despite the powerful engines in their cars, which Texans possess, no one was equipped with winter tires. Few also have experience driving on snow and ice, so accidents occurred one after another. The media constantly showed pile-ups involving up to several dozen cars.