Parts of Texas see snow flurries, ice amid arctic blast

As an arctic blast ravages much of Texas, there’s one area in particular which has seen some shockingly cold days. The Texas Panhandle, namely cities like Amarillo, have seen consistent snow flurries with single-digit temperatures that have rivaled zero throughout the weekend. However, things are expected to warm up just in time for another cold front, bringing a springboard of yo-yoing temperatures to the region. While much of the worst of this winter weather has hovered up north, areas like Austin may see some snow in all of this wildness.

It’s no doubt been an intense bout of winter weather across much of Texas this past weekend, and as of Monday morning, January 15, it’s looking like a Southwest wind blowing in may offer a short but welcome reprieve to the Texas Panhandle where snow flurries and subzero temps have ravaged cities like Amarillo.

“We have been getting snow, but it’s always been flurries,” National Weather Service Meteorologist Samuel Scoleri told MySA. “There hasn’t been any expectation for it, but it’s just one of those things where it gets cold enough and the atmosphere has been squeezing out whatever moisture is present.”

While Scoleri said flurries of white have fallen over much of the Texas Panhandle over the weekend, it’s nothing to write home about as there’s been hardly any accumulation as the snow has dissipated upon landing for the most part. The temperatures, on the other hand, have been something of note. Much of the Texas Panhandle has seen temperatures dip below zero overnight and hover in the single digits over the day, peaking out at around 16 degrees Monday afternoon.

However, Scoleri says a bout of southwest winds are slated to push all this wild winter weather out, bringing with it a day or two of warmer weather. The temperatures up north are expected to jump around quite a bit, hitting single digits Monday night before beginning a steady climb into Tuesday as winds push out all this winter wildness. However, Scoleri said this wind is a concern, as a wind chill advisory is now in effect as winds pushing out the cold air could bring wind chills approaching negative 15 to negative 20 degrees — talk about frigid.

“Tuesday is when we’re expecting the storm to move out,” Scoleri said. “What we’re kind of watching is if the system kind of stalls as it moves. Right now, were expecting temps to be just shy of freezing – in the low 30s – Tuesday. Then, meanwhile for the overnight, we can still get pretty cold a lot of places – in the single digits to negatives.”

These southwest winds are slated to bring a 60-degree day to the Texas Panhandle by midweek, but that won’t last for long as another cold front is set to hit the region by Wednesday night, dipping temperatures back down to the mid to low 30s. That’s a major spread of temperatures in a single week, going from single digits to 60 and back down toward freezing.

The Texas Panhandle isn’t the only bit of the Lone Star State experiencing significant winter weather, however, as much of South Central Texas has dipped well below freezing – areas in the Texas Hill Country have even seen temperatures rival single digits. A recent model from the National Weather Service even shows snow may be capping hillsides near Austin.

“A band of light snow will slide southeastward this morning associated with some frontal forcing aloft,” the National Weather Service Austin office tweeted out Monday morning. “This should allow all precip to come to an end by midday for South Central Texas. Continue to be cautious if you plan on traveling this morning.”

In fact, images are already circulating online of snow-covered areas just south of Austin in Caldwell County near Martindale. So, between icy roads and snow-lined streets, it really did turn out to be the arctic blast in South Central Texas we’d been anticipating.