Extreme Cold/Wind Chill — Washington, Texas

2021-02-15 to 2021-02-16 · Washington, Texas

Event narrative

Bitter cold air and wind overspread SE Texas behind and Arctic front on Valentines Day with wind chill indices below zero for much the period from Sunday night to Tuesday morning. Increased power demand, wind and ice led to widespread power outages. Bursting pipes caused many to be without water as well.

Wider weather episode

Record cold and windy conditions gripped Southeast Texas behind the passage of an Arctic front. The extreme cold and increased demand led to widespread power outages, loss of heat for many and led to the bursting of pipes with some losing water for many days. Numerous fatalities resulted both from hypothermia, carbon monoxide poisoning and other effects.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 945956. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.