These Photos Show How No One In Texas Was Prepared For This Much Snow
Texas was just one of the states to experience a strong snowstorm over Presidents Day weekend.
Over the long weekend, Texas and many places in the central United States experienced extreme weather, receiving up to 8 inches of snow. At least three deaths have been reported, and Texas residents are advised to stay home. For a region that doesn't see snow at all most winters, the subfreezing temperatures and arctic temperatures caused a lot of damage — including massive power outages affecting millions and traffic brought to a crawl. Texas has reported wind chills as low as 15 below zero, the lowest temperature seen in decades. The cold has put an unprecedented strain on the electrical grid, with the governor and state legislators calling for overall reforms to the power system as people without heat turn to unsafe means to stay warm.
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Tim tends a fire he used for heat and cooking at a homeless camp in Austin on Feb. 16, 2021, during an extreme cold snap.
People sit at a dining room table inside a Gallery Furniture store after the owner opened his business as a shelter for those without power, Feb. 16, 2021, in Houston. More than 4 million people in Texas still had no power a full day after historic snowfall and single-digit temperatures created a surge of demand for electricity to warm up homes unaccustomed to such extreme lows, buckling the state's power grid and causing widespread blackouts.
Baylor University students enjoy their snow day without classes while posing near a fountain on campus Monday in Waco, Texas.
Pedestrians walk along a snow-covered street on Feb. 15 in Austin.
Eithan Colindres wears a winter coat inside after the apartment his family lives in the Greenspoint area that lost power following an overnight snowfall on Feb. 15, 2021, in Houston. Temperatures plunged into the teens Monday with light snow and freezing rain.
Cattle roam a field as they graze with the rest of their herd on Feb. 13, 2021, in Midland, Texas.
Shoppers crowd a display of bottled water at a United Supermarkets location not long after the city announced it had two to three hours of water left at normal consumption, due to loss of electric power caused by the winter storm in Abilene, Texas, on Feb. 15.
Megan Pennartz and her dog Jensen go sledding after the snowstorm in Fort Worth, Texas.
Mia Donjuan, 4, falls off her sled as she slides down a hill in the Elmwood neighborhood of Dallas on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021.
People push a car free after spinning out in the snow Monday, Feb. 15, 2021, in Waco, Texas.
Francisco Sanchez wipes snow off his car with a boogie board before going out sledding with his kids on Valentine's Day at Memorial Park in El Paso, Texas.
South Lamar Boulevard is one of the main roads that run into downtown Austin, pictured here covered in snow with the Austin cityscape on the horizon.
Pedestrians walk on an icy road on Feb. 15 in East Austin.
A man peers out from under a blanket while trying to stay warm in below-freezing temperatures Monday, Feb. 15, 2021, in Houston.
Dan Bryant and his wife, Anna, huddle by the fire with sons Benny, 3, and Sam, 12 weeks, along with their dog Joey, also wearing two doggie sweaters, with power out and temperatures dropping inside their home after a winter storm brought snow and freezing temperatures to North Texas on Feb. 15.
People wait in line at a mall to get inside an H-E-B supermarket in Round Rock, Texas, on Tuesday, Feb. 16.
Customers use the light from a cellphone to look in the meat section of a grocery store Tuesday, Feb. 16, in Dallas. Even though the store lost power, it was open for cash-only sales.
Ice clings to the spines of a prickly pear cactus Saturday in Midland, Texas.
UPDATE: Images have been added to this post.
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Pia Peterson is a photo editor at BuzzFeed News, and is based in Brooklyn.
Contact Pia Peterson at pia.peterson@buzzfeed.com.
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