HAY MAKER
Well-known member
Thursday
January 31, 2008
Serving the
Texas Hill Country
since 1908
Cold weather history
From staff reports
The Daily Times
Published January 31, 2008
While today the area is enjoying rather mild winter temperatures, longtime residents may recall the coldest day ever recorded in the Texas Hill Country.
It was on Jan. 31, 1949, that Kerrville and the surrounding area recorded the lowest temperature ever observed here. Kerrville dropped to minus 7 degrees that morning.
The cold wave began on Jan. 25, as a strong Arctic cold front invaded the state. The temperature dropped from highs in the 50s, 60s and 70s into the 30s on Jan. 25 and 26, with light snow reported.
A brief warming trend ensued on Jan. 27, as the high reached 60 degrees, but another surge of Arctic air, much stronger than the earlier frontal systems, slammed the region on Jan. 28, holding highs in the 40s.
By daybreak on Jan. 28, the temperature had plunged to 12 degrees, and temperatures would hold in the teens nearly all day on Jan. 29, with an official high of 20 degrees recorded.
Weather observations show that six inches of snow fell in Kerrville on Jan. 29 and 30, creating a heavy snowpack over the entire Hill Country. After a high of only 25 degrees on Jan. 30, skies cleared and the mercury plunged to 7 degrees below zero by the next morning under starry skies.
The snowpack, calm winds and clear skies enabled temperatures to drop like a rock across the entire region.
Llano reported a low of 6 below zero, Boerne reported 4 below zero, Fredericksburg dropped to 5 below zero, and Junction reported 4 below zero. Seven inches of snow fell at Junction and Fredericksburg, with eight inches of snow reported at Llano.
Lampasas dropped to 12 degrees below zero, setting an all-time record low temperature for Central Texas and the Texas Hill Country, which still stands today.
The storm caused significant damage across the entire state, with the livestock industry taking the heaviest toll.
Statewide, 38 cities across the state were without power and communication for a significant length of time, and estimated losses exceeded $2 million.
The ice and snow storms reported in January 1949 still rank at the top of the list when it comes to the most unbearable winters ever recorded across the state.
The cold snap of February 1899 ranks as the coldest outbreak in Texas weather history, as ice was reported all the way into Mexico, and Brownsville dropped to 12 degrees.
The 1899 winter blast dropped Kerrville to minus 2 degrees, and there was much less snow reported during that outbreak.
Weather records for Kerrville officially date back to 1895 and 1896.
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January 31, 2008
Serving the
Texas Hill Country
since 1908
Cold weather history
From staff reports
The Daily Times
Published January 31, 2008
While today the area is enjoying rather mild winter temperatures, longtime residents may recall the coldest day ever recorded in the Texas Hill Country.
It was on Jan. 31, 1949, that Kerrville and the surrounding area recorded the lowest temperature ever observed here. Kerrville dropped to minus 7 degrees that morning.
The cold wave began on Jan. 25, as a strong Arctic cold front invaded the state. The temperature dropped from highs in the 50s, 60s and 70s into the 30s on Jan. 25 and 26, with light snow reported.
A brief warming trend ensued on Jan. 27, as the high reached 60 degrees, but another surge of Arctic air, much stronger than the earlier frontal systems, slammed the region on Jan. 28, holding highs in the 40s.
By daybreak on Jan. 28, the temperature had plunged to 12 degrees, and temperatures would hold in the teens nearly all day on Jan. 29, with an official high of 20 degrees recorded.
Weather observations show that six inches of snow fell in Kerrville on Jan. 29 and 30, creating a heavy snowpack over the entire Hill Country. After a high of only 25 degrees on Jan. 30, skies cleared and the mercury plunged to 7 degrees below zero by the next morning under starry skies.
The snowpack, calm winds and clear skies enabled temperatures to drop like a rock across the entire region.
Llano reported a low of 6 below zero, Boerne reported 4 below zero, Fredericksburg dropped to 5 below zero, and Junction reported 4 below zero. Seven inches of snow fell at Junction and Fredericksburg, with eight inches of snow reported at Llano.
Lampasas dropped to 12 degrees below zero, setting an all-time record low temperature for Central Texas and the Texas Hill Country, which still stands today.
The storm caused significant damage across the entire state, with the livestock industry taking the heaviest toll.
Statewide, 38 cities across the state were without power and communication for a significant length of time, and estimated losses exceeded $2 million.
The ice and snow storms reported in January 1949 still rank at the top of the list when it comes to the most unbearable winters ever recorded across the state.
The cold snap of February 1899 ranks as the coldest outbreak in Texas weather history, as ice was reported all the way into Mexico, and Brownsville dropped to 12 degrees.
The 1899 winter blast dropped Kerrville to minus 2 degrees, and there was much less snow reported during that outbreak.
Weather records for Kerrville officially date back to 1895 and 1896.
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