This week in Houston is definitely colder than normal outside, but just how cold can temperatures drop in our city? Well, let’s just say you’ll be grateful for today’s temps after reading how chilly it got in January 1930. Keep reading to learn more about the coldest day ever in Houston and historic winter freezes.
The Coldest Day in Houston
On Jan. 18, 1930, Houston recorded its coldest day ever at only 5 degrees. Decades later, another historically cold year in Houston was 1983, when Houstonians experienced four full days in a row of below freezing weather. Yikes! Then in December 1989, a winter storm brought more frigid weather. Houstonians saw 1.7 inches of snow fall on Dec. 22, and the temperature dropped to 7 degrees on Dec. 23. The weather remained chilly the rest of the month with 14 nights of temperatures at or below freezing, making it the coldest month on record for Houston and Galveston.
2021 Winter Freeze That Everyone Wants to Forget
I used to get excited to see snow in the forecast, but after the freeze in February 2021, I don’t ever want to feel that cold again. If you lived in Houston in 2021, then you probably remember the historic winter freeze that impacted the entire state of Texas. Icy cold temperatures blasted into the Houston area on Sunday (also Valentine’s Day!), bringing snow, sleet, and freezing rain. The freeze, called Winter Storm Uri, lasted a week and caused between $80 to $130 billion dollars in financial loss, power outages that lasted for days, road closures, and broken pipes.
Other Historic Winter Freezes
Who remembers the chilly temperatures in January 2018? Over the course of three weeks, there were ten nights where temperatures dipped to or below freezing. February 2011 was also quite cold for Houstonians! Temperatures remained in the low 20s for five straight days from Feb. 1-5 and then four straight days from Feb. 9-12. We also saw an ice storm on Feb. 4 that year! Meanwhile, around that time, I was a freshman in college, enjoying a snow day in Austin 😉
