Winter Storm in Texas, February 1 to 2, 1996

Name: Winter Storm in Texas, February 1 to 2, 1996
Start: 1996-02-01T01:40
End: 1996-02-02T10:00
Location: Texas

February 1 to 2, 1996 · NWS EWX · 19 events in 19 counties and zones

A winter storm developed early in the morning of Feb. 1 and continued until well into the afternoon.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 19 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $1.5 million
Crop damage: $50,000
Events: 19

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS EWX wrote it up.

A winter storm developed early in the morning of Feb. 1 and continued until well into the afternoon. Rain began falling just before midnight on Wednesday, January 31st, and changed to sleet across the Texas Hill Country just before 2 am CST. as the event spread eastward into the Austin and San Antonio metropolitan areas, the sleet formed sheets of ice over bridges and roadways. In addition, snow began to fall over the Hill Country and Austin areas near noon on the 1st. This event was described as one of the worst in the past ten years by the Austin Office of Emergency Management. Nearly 1000 vehicle accidents were reported in Austin with nearly 700 in San Antonio. Students were released early at most schools and universities in the area. Road closures were widespread across the Hill Country, Austin, San Marcos, New Braunfels, San Antonio, and all points inbetween. Because of the cold temperatures in the teens and twenties that followed the winter event, many roads and highways remained closed through the evening of the 1st.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

19 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Llano

When: February 1, 1:40 AM CST to February 2, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Llano forecast zone
Property damage: $1.5 million
Crop damage: $50,000
Coordinates: 30.706, -98.684 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Burnet

When: February 1, 1:40 AM CST to February 2, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Burnet forecast zone
Coordinates: 30.788, -98.182 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Williamson

When: February 1, 1:40 AM CST to February 2, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Williamson forecast zone
Coordinates: 30.648, -97.601 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Real

When: February 1, 1:40 AM CST to February 2, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Real forecast zone
Coordinates: 29.832, -99.822 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Kerr

When: February 1, 1:40 AM CST to February 2, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Kerr forecast zone
Coordinates: 30.062, -99.350 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Bandera

When: February 1, 1:40 AM CST to February 2, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Bandera forecast zone
Coordinates: 29.747, -99.246 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Gillespie

When: February 1, 1:40 AM CST to February 2, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Gillespie forecast zone
Coordinates: 30.318, -98.946 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Kendall

When: February 1, 1:40 AM CST to February 2, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Kendall forecast zone
Coordinates: 29.945, -98.712 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Blanco

When: February 1, 1:40 AM CST to February 2, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Blanco forecast zone
Coordinates: 30.266, -98.400 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Hays

When: February 1, 1:40 AM CST to February 2, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Hays forecast zone
Coordinates: 30.058, -98.031 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Travis

When: February 1, 1:40 AM CST to February 2, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Travis forecast zone
Coordinates: 30.335, -97.782 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Bastrop

When: February 1, 1:40 AM CST to February 2, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Bastrop forecast zone
Coordinates: 30.104, -97.312 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Lee

When: February 1, 1:40 AM CST to February 2, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Lee forecast zone
Coordinates: 30.311, -96.966 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Medina

When: February 1, 1:40 AM CST to February 2, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Medina forecast zone
Coordinates: 29.356, -99.110 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Bexar

When: February 1, 1:40 AM CST to February 2, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Bexar forecast zone
Coordinates: 29.449, -98.520 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Comal

When: February 1, 1:40 AM CST to February 2, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Comal forecast zone
Coordinates: 29.808, -98.278 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Guadalupe

When: February 1, 1:40 AM CST to February 2, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Guadalupe forecast zone
Coordinates: 29.583, -97.949 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Caldwell

When: February 1, 1:40 AM CST to February 2, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Caldwell forecast zone
Coordinates: 29.837, -97.620 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Fayette

When: February 1, 1:40 AM CST to February 2, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Fayette forecast zone
Coordinates: 29.877, -96.920 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Texas in 1996 Every state in 1996 This day in weather history Warnings in Texas, February 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5542458, 5542459, 5542460, 5542461, 5542462, 5542463, 5542464, 5542465, 5542466, 5542467, 5542468, 5542469, 5542470, 5542471, 5542472, 5542473, 5542474, 5542655, 5542656.