Some Central Texas Cities See Snow In First Freeze Of 2018

AUSTIN, TEXAS — It wasn't exactly a winter wonderland, but some parts of Central Texas saw brief snow flurries on Tuesday morning.

Look, it wasn't even remotely close to snowman-building stuff. But snow and any variation thereof is rare in Texas, and worth going a little agog over at least a little bit. So please, indulge us.

We good? So the "snow" was of enough consistency to stick to surfaces, including vehicles and patio furniture. It's rare to see that kind of thing in these parts, especially so early in the year.

Related story: Austin Area Gets Its First First Freeze Warning This Week

On social media, some people — including hardened meteorologists who have seen everything weather-related — were a little giddy. Others, not so much. It was a mixed emotional stew.

"Snow Flurries/Grapuel are being reported from Austin to Helotes to San Antonio to Cedar Park and may places in between!" National Weather Service officials wrote. "Enjoy them while you can as skies will be clearing and the sun will come out by late morning!"

"Yep!" wrote one on Twitter. "There was definitely cold, white stuff falling from the sky in North Austin at about 7:25 a.m. for 60 seconds." We're not sure if she wrote that excitedly or with sarcasm. Hard to tell in print.

Others didn't know how to feel: "Five days ago, I was having the time of my life wearing shorts in Austin," a woman wrote on Twitter. "Now, I'm covered in snow."

Another lady was not pleased: "I’m fully about to have a 'let me speak to the manager' moment about the weather in Austin," she wrote. "SNOW FLURRIES IN NOVEMBER? Not okay." Instead of reflexively shooting a photo of the object of her fury, she chose to have her self photographed with a not-happy countenance as she stared toward the landscape.

One guy seemed downright angry by the snow flurries, channeling Micheal Scott from "The Office" in full meltdown mode (no pun intended).

Some failed to see the wonder in it, and were decidedly underwhelmed (or not whelmed at all, for that matter): "Oh look, what passes for snow in Central Texas," one Twitter use wrote, showing a vehicle with a couple of errant snowflakes atop the hood.

You call that snow? Amarillo said to Austin in response to its flurries (not literally but figuratively). The Panhandle got genuine snow on on Sunday, including the rare thundersnow — a rare phenomenon of snowfall accompanied by thunder and lightning.

Here's some scenes from Amarillo from earlier this week:

At this point, we're starting to feel a little bit silly having reported on Central Texas snow flurries, with no small measure of feelings of inadequacy.

We'll attempt a graceful exit with some useful information: The freeze warning currently in effect will be in place for much of Central and South Texas — including Travis and Williamson counties — until 9 a.m. Wednesday. Temperatures on Tuesday were forecast to drop to as low as 29 degrees, with more cold weather expected through the week.

Although it's been said — many times, many ways — it's important to mind the three Ps under a freeze warning:

• Pets: Domesticated animals should be brought indoors before the onset of 32-degree temperatures. Those in more agrarian areas should shelter their livestock if possible. It's not just the decent thing to do, but the law. In Texas, it's illegal for pet owners to leave their pets outdoors in freezing conditions.
• Plants: Freezing temperatures, naturally, can kill crops and sensitive vegetation. To prevent this, gardens and flowerbeds should be covered up to trap heat from the ground. If you have potted plants, you'll need to bring them indoors. Short of that, you might try to wrap them in towels to prevent their roots from freezing.
• Pipes: Texas Department of Public Safety officials advise residents living in houses to insulate pipes in newspaper or insulation. To prevent freezing, faucets should be allowed to drip overnight. Garden hoses should be disconnected.

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