Winter Storm — Travis, Texas

2011-02-03 to 2011-02-04 · Travis, Texas

Event narrative

An upper level storm approached the area the evening of February 3rd and produced light freezing drizzle which quickly formed a thin layer of ice on all exposed surfaces, making travel very dangerous. The greatest ice accumulation was one quarter of an inch in DeWitt County. The precipitation later turned mostly to light snow along with a few reports of sleet. The greatest snow amounts were from 1 to 2 inches, mainly across portions of Travis and Williamson Counties with generally less than one inch, across the Hill Country, portions of San Antonio, and areas east of I-35. There were over 500 traffic accidents reported in San Antonio and Austin during the overnight hours as well as others in most of the other counties. The icy roads forced all of the major highways in San Antonio to close during the night. For a time, I-35 was closed from San Marcos through San Antonio into Atascosa County, a stretch of nearly 100 miles. Many other highways were closed across the area including parts of I-10, US Hwy 90, US Hwy 77, and US Hwy 290. Most area schools were closed February 4th. There were two fatality car accidents as a result of the icy roads.

Wider weather episode

An arctic cold front pushed across South Central Texas early on February 1. An upper level storm system moved east across Texas during the early morning hours of February 4. The lift associated with this low, along with the cold arctic air at the surface, produced freezing rain and snow during the overnight hours of February 3 and 4.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 277067. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.