Ice Storm in Texas, February 3 to 4, 2011

Light freezing drizzle, began during the mid morning hours of February 3rd. The precipitation became steadier by noon, and by 3 PM, a glaze of 1/8 inch had accreted on exposed surfaces. The steady, occasionally heavy freezing drizzle continued overnight and into the morning hours of the 4th. Overnight, the glaze accumulated further, with 1/2 to 3/4 inch accretion common on trees, wires, signs, and grasses across coastal Cameron County.

Several vehicle accidents were reported on the Queen Isabella Causeway between South Padre Island and Port Isabel by late afternoon, and the bridge was closed to non essential traffic just before sunset on the 3rd.

Despite persistent 20 to 25 mph winds with gusts to 30 mph, power outages due to the ice alone were kept to a minimum by continuous monitoring by utility crews.

The icing aggravated damages to agriculture, primarily to tropical plants. All emperor palm fronds (a tree designed for true tropical climates) were destroyed by the combination of ice accretion and long duration freeze. For more details on the overall damage to crops and livestock due to the freeze, see the episode on the freezing temperatures between February 3rd and 4th.

Light freezing drizzle, began during the mid morning hours of February 3rd. The precipitation became steadier by noon, and by 3 PM, a glaze of 1/8 inch had accreted on exposed surfaces. The steady, occasionally heavy freezing drizzle continued overnight and into the morning hours of the 4th. Overnight, the glaze accumulated further, with 1/2 to 3/4 inch accretion common on trees, wires, signs, grasses, and marine elements (masts, rope, rails, etc). across coastal Willacy County.

One accident resulted in one death and two critical injuries during the evening of the 3rd. A vehicle, traveling a high speeds along State Highway 186 about 5 miles west of Port Mansfield, rolled over when the driver lost control crossing an icy bridge shortly after 9 PM CST. Two persons were ejected from the vehicle, including the 53 year old male who was killed.

Despite persistent 20 to 25 mph winds with gusts to 30 mph, power outages due to the ice alone were kept to a minimum by continuous monitoring by utility crews.

Light freezing drizzle, began during the mid morning hours of February 3rd. The precipitation became steadier by noon, and by 3 PM, a glaze of 1/8 inch had accreted on exposed surfaces. The steady, occasionally heavy freezing drizzle continued overnight and into the morning hours of the 4th. Overnight, the glaze accumulated further, with 3/4 to 1 inch accretion common across inland Cameron County. The highest accretion was found in the City of Brownsville, where up to 1 1/2 inches accreted on exposed surfaces such as trees, grasses, wires, and signs.

At least 116 vehicle accidents were reported in the Brownsville/San Benito/Harlingen Metropolitan area during the 24 hour period from 6 AM on the 3rd through 6 AM on the 4th. Most of these were on elevated highways and bridges, particularly Expressways 77/83 and 83 (between Harlingen and La Feria). While the number of accidents was unfortunate, the total number was likely much lower due to early road closures; at one point, all overpasses in the county were closed to traffic due to the icing.

While there were no fatalities in the county, there were minor injuries reported from people falling on the ice. As of this writing, there were no known injuries from falling ice, which was a clear hazard from late morning through mid afternoon of the 4th, when melting occurred.

Power outages due to the combination of cold temperatures and rolling statewide blackouts, as well as the icing, peaked at nearly 26,000 customers (American Electric Power and Brownsville PUB) during the morning of the 4th. The vast majority of the outages were a result of rolling blackouts triggered by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas to mitigate worse impacts elsewhere in the state.

The icing aggravated damages to agriculture, primarily to tropical plants. All emperor palm fronds (a tree designed for true tropical climates) were destroyed by the combination of ice accretion and long duration freeze. For more details on the overall damage to crops and livestock due to the freeze, see the episode on the freezing temperatures between February 3rd and 4th.

One quarter inch diameter glazing was reported on exposed surfaces (tree limbs, power lines, etc). early on February 4th. Ice accretion was estimated to begin between noon and 3 PM in the county, with accretions estimated to reach 1/8 inch, the local criteria for such an unusual event, between 5 an 7 PM CST. Significant damage was not reported as the precipitation fell as a mist for nearly the entire event.

The glaze ice, combined with the long duration freeze, fully cured all ranchland (grasses, scrub brush, mesquite) turning all plantlife brown and barren.

Light freezing drizzle, began around noon on February 3rd. The precipitation became steadier by afternoon, and by 5 PM, a glaze of 1/8 inch had accreted on exposed surfaces. The steady, occasionally heavy freezing drizzle continued overnight and into the morning hours of the 4th. Overnight, the glaze accumulated further, with 1/2 to 3/4 inch accretion common across inland Willacy County. Accretion was most significant on trees, wires, grasses, and signs.

At least 20 vehicle accidents were reported along the Expressway 77 overpasses near Raymondville between 530 and 930 PM on the 3rd. Emergency management reported that up to 1/8 inch accumulated on non elevated, untreated roads in some areas, as temperatures held in the upper 20s for most of the event. While the number of accidents was unfortunate, the total number was likely much lower due to early road closures. For most of the event, all overpasses in the county were closed to traffic due to the icing.

As of this writing, there were no known injuries from falling ice, which was a clear hazard from late morning through mid afternoon of the 4th, when melting occurred.

Power outages due to the combination of cold temperatures and rolling statewide blackouts, as well as the icing, peaked somewhere between 3 and 5 thousand customers during the mid evening of the 3rd. Some of the outages were a result of rolling blackouts triggered by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas to mitigate worse impacts elsewhere in the state; others were from ice accretion.

The icing aggravated damages to agriculture, primarily to tropical plants. For more details on the overall damage to crops and livestock due to the freeze, see the episode on the freezing temperatures between February 3rd and 4th.

Light freezing drizzle, mixed with a little snow, began shortly after noon on the 3rd. The precipitation became steadier and heavier through the afternoon, and began accreting to one eighth an inch in some spots before sunset. Overnight, the glaze accreted further, with one quarter to one half inch of ice in many areas by mid morning, except up to an inch from Weslaco to Mercedes where precipitation was a bit heavier.

A large number of vehicle accidents were reported in the county due to the large number of bridge crossings and elevated expressways. News reports noted at least 58 crashes in the county on elevated expressways such as U.S. 281 and U.S. 83. One was a ten car pileup on U.S. 83. The number of accidents was reduced by early road closures; at one point, all overpasses were closed to traffic due to the icing.

While there were no fatalities in the county, there were dozens of minor injuries reported from people falling on the ice, and 20 persons admitted to the McAllen Medical Center from injuries suffered in vehicle accidents.

Power outages due to the combination of cold temperatures and rolling statewide blackouts, as well as the icing, peaked at more than 32,000 customers (American Electric Power) during the morning of the 4th.

The icing aggravated damages to agriculture, primarily to tropical plants. For more details on the overall damage to crops and livestock due to the freeze, see the episode on the freezing temperatures between February 3rd and 4th.

Freezing drizzle began accreting on exposed surfaces across the King Ranch during the mid to late afternoon of the 3rd, and likely reached 1/8 inch between 6 and 8 PM CST. The light drizzle would continue through just after sunrise on the 4th, totalling one quarter to one half inch before the precipitation ended.

No data were available on traffic incidents due to icy roads; Kenedy County, unlike most other locations in the Rio Grande Valley, has no elevated roads and a minimal number of low water bridges.

One eigth to one quarter inch diameter glazing was reported on exposed surfaces (tree limbs, power lines, etc.) early on February 4th. Ice accretion was estimated to begin between noon and 3 PM in the county, with accretions estimated to reach 1/8 inch, the local criteria for such an unusual event, between 8 and 10 PM CST. Significant damage was not reported as the precipitation fell as a mist for nearly the entire event.

The glaze ice, combined with the long duration freeze, fully cured all ranchland (grasses, scrub brush, mesquite) turning all plantlife brown and barren. Temperatures dipping into the mid 20s toward the end of the event froze water on non elevated road surfaces, making driving conditions treacherous during the early morning of the 4th.

One quarter to one half inch of sleet, combined with glaze ice, was reported on exposed surfaces (tree limbs, power lines, grasses, etc.) early on February 4th. Sleet accumulation and ice accretion was estimated to begin between 6 and 8 PM in the county, with accretions estimated to reach 1/8 inch, the local criteria for such an unusual event, between 10 PM February 3rd and Midnight February 4th CST. Significant damage was not reported.

Between midnight and 2 AM on the 4th, a thin band of snow developed downwind of Falcon Lake, dropping around an inch across Falcon Heights and bringing residents outside to build a very small snowman in an area that receives winter weather once in decades. The snow band was similar to lake effect snow stripes commonly seen downwind of the Great Lakes each winter.

The sleet, ice, and snow, combined with the long duration freeze, fully cured all ranchland (grasses, scrub brush, mesquite) turning all plantlife brown and barren. Temperatures dipping into the lower and mid 20s after the end of the event froze water on non elevated road surfaces, making driving conditions treacherous during the early morning of the 4th. Elevated road surfaces quickly glazed during the evening of the 3rd, requiring road closures.

A combination of sleet and snow dropped at least one half inch of accumulation and accretion on exposed surfaces (tree limbs, power lines, grasses, etc.) early on February 4th. Sleet accumulation and ice accretion was estimated to begin between 6 and 8 PM in the county, with accretions estimated to reach 1/8 inch, the local criteria for such an unusual event, between 10 PM February 3rd and Midnight February 4th CST. Significant damage was not reported.

The sleet and glaze ice, combined with the long duration freeze, fully cured all ranchland (grasses, scrub brush, mesquite) turning all plantlife brown and barren. Temperatures dipping into the lower and mid 20s after the end of the event froze water on non elevated road surfaces, making driving conditions treacherous during the early morning of the 4th. Elevated road surfaces quickly glazed during the evening of the 3rd, requring road closures particularly around the fingers extending east of Falcon Lake.