|
THE NIGHT SOUTH TEXAS FROZE OVER
On January 8 and 9, 2010, night time temperatures in the
Rio Grande Valley fell into the low 20s! Early morning risers saw a heavy
white blanket of frost covering everything in sight. This was a rare
event, for deep south Texas freezes over only a little more often than
Hell does!
Imagine the confusion and hardship this created for the
unaccustomed population. Individuals, towns and cities who creatively deal
with temperatures between 95 and 115 were stopped – if not frozen – in
their tracks. Icy patches on roadways were a hazard for early morning
drivers. Some discovered painfully that it takes longer to stop on icy
roads. Some schools had to close or delay classes because of dangerous bus
routes, inadequate heat, or frozen water lines. Local communities set up
shelters for persons and families whose homes had no indoor heating
systems.
Makeshift heating devices created major safety hazards.
Use of space heaters, portable electric heating units, and cook stoves,
both stove top burners and baking ovens, caused a rash of home fires
across the Valley, some involving fatalities. TV weather forecasts
included addresses and travel instructions to public shelters. Tips were
also given for the protection of pets and vegetation from the sub-freezing
cold. Plants left uncovered quickly turned from healthy green to brittle
brown during the night. By morning, vegetation that had been covered with
blankets, sheets, tarps, or plastic WalMart bags had joined their naked
neighbors in death.
The agriculture industry across deep south Texas was
threatened by the plummeting temperatures. Livestock was at risk of
freezing to death. Several of the major crops were in danger of
destruction. Citrus trees and fruit, for example, suffer damage if exposed
for more than two hours to temperatures below 28 degrees. Root vegetables
such as carrots, onions, potatoes, and turnips are protected but table
vegetables such as lettuce, tomatoes, and spinach are exposed to the
frosty air.
In the midst of that unwelcome cold snap, there were a
few bright spots, however:
- Winter Texans rejoiced at the reminder of what they
had left behind at home up north.
- Fashion conscious women all across the Rio Grande
Valley finally had the chance to wear their heavy sweaters, warm
"faux fur" coats and the high top, high heeled boots they
had been storing in the back of their closets for just such a time as
this!
- Local merchants had a lucrative business selling out
of space heaters and electric extension cords; WalMart couldn’t keep
up with the demand for warm gloves and hats.
- After the initial freezing shock, the overhead field
irrigation systems began sprinkling the fields with crushed ice!
- Cows and goats, recovering from the chill of that
first cold blast, surprised those who came to milk them by filling
their buckets with ice cream rather than the expected warm white
fluid!
- Shivering citrus trees produced frozen juice straight
from their branches, saving the usual processing costs!
- Water expands as it freezes so, for a few brief hours
on the nights of January 8 and 9, 2010, Texas was slightly larger than
usual, making Texans justifiably – if only temporarily – prouder
than usual!
- This once-in-a-lifetime event – the ‘South Texas
freeze’ – was fertile ground for the growth of a new crop of
"Texas Tall Tales." Can you imagine that?
8 Jan 2010 - mshr
|