Texas, 2018

Winter Weather in Texas, January 16, 2018

January 16, 2018 · NWS SHV · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

A trough of low pressure spread east across the Southern Plains during the evening hours of January 15th, with a arctic air mass quickly spilling south into the Ark-La-Tex during the late afternoon through the evening hours behind a strong cold front. Scattered areas of light rain developed along and just behind the front over much of East Texas during the evening hours, with the rain quickly…

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
5

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 SHV wrote it up.

A trough of low pressure spread east across the Southern Plains during the evening hours of January 15th, with a arctic air mass quickly spilling south into the Ark-La-Tex during the late afternoon through the evening hours behind a strong cold front. Scattered areas of light rain developed along and just behind the front over much of East Texas during the evening hours, with the rain quickly changing over to a mixture of freezing rain and sleet, before eventually transitioning over to snow during the early morning hours on the 16th. While the mixed wintry precipitation melted during the beginning of the event, temperatures fell quickly into the mid 20s by or shortly after daybreak on the 16th, resulting in some black ice development on secondary roadways, bridges and overpasses, with snowfall accumulations ranging from a dusting up to a half inch.

Here are the snowfall reports from this event across Deep East Texas: In Angelina County, 6 miles north of Hudson recorded 0.1 inches of snow. In Nacogdoches County, 5 miles east southeast of Appleby recorded 0.5 inches of snow. In Shelby County, Center recorded 0.5 inches of snow. In San Augustine County, San Augustine recorded 0.3 inches of snow. In Sabine County, Hemphill recorded 0.2 inches of snow.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Shreveport, LA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 15, 11:34 PM CST, 3 hours 26 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 15, 11:34 PM CST, 3 hours 26 minutes before
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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Shelby

When
January 16, 3:00 AM CST to 3:40 PM CST
Where
Shelby forecast zone
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
31.792, -94.145 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Nacogdoches

When
January 16, 4:00 AM CST to 3:40 PM CST
Where
Nacogdoches forecast zone
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
31.616, -94.616 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, San Augustine

When
January 16, 4:00 AM CST to 3:40 PM CST
Where
San Augustine forecast zone
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
31.394, -94.168 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Sabine

When
January 16, 4:00 AM CST to 3:40 PM CST
Where
Sabine forecast zone
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
31.343, -93.852 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Angelina

When
January 16, 5:00 AM CST to 3:40 PM CST
Where
Angelina forecast zone
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
31.255, -94.612 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Weather
Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Texas in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, January 2018

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 728261, 728260, 728262, 728263, 728259.