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On Thursday, rare heavy snow in Amarillo, Texas caused whiteout conditions and dangerous roads. While this snow doesn’t set any records for the area, it is quite surprising – and rough for the state, which is dealing with $2 billion in damages from tornadoes only a week ago.
This wasn’t a little bit of snow, which is what makes this strange weather phenomenon so odd – some places in Texas got between 4 and 6 inches of snow on Thursday, with most in the affected area having at least enough to coat their fall decorations in a blanket of white.
One area had snowdrifts as high as 10-12 inches. In October!
The snow began falling around 10 am on Thursday and continued well into the afternoon. The worst was concentrated a few miles out of Amarillo, Texas, in the panhandle. Today, the high for the Texas city is just 49 degrees, with a low of 26.
@Ginger_Zee after the Amarillo, Texas snowstorm! pic.twitter.com/J6KtnaVY04
— Jill Ratliff (@jillratt11) October 25, 2019
As of now, they are expecting more snow next Wednesday, with a high of just 36 degrees and a low of 19! When you think of Texas, these are not the temperatures you usually have in mind.
Unsurprisingly, residents of Texas aren’t as familiar with driving in icy or snowy conditions as those from other states, who are more used to these conditions. The official Twitter page for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) tweeted about several road closures and accidents happening because of the weather, including some major highways.
They suggested taking alternative routes if possible and warned drivers of slippery conditions.
Many residents went onto social media to share their experience with the freak storm, including one man who was able to capture the rare “Thundersnow”.
Got a better #thundersnow on the GoPro #txwx #phwx pic.twitter.com/KM5fVSrAJl
— Trades McGrady🔥 (@trades_mcgrady) October 24, 2019
Thundersnow is basically a winter thunderstorm, but it isn’t very common. Instead of rain falling, like a normal storm, snow is falling. Snow is a much better sound suppressant than rain, however, so many people in the middle of a thundersnow event don’t even know it – the sound is dampened so much by the falling snow, it never reaches your ears.
One twitter user shared that she never really realized how big Texas was… until she noticed that Amarillo had a snowstorm, while it felt like 94 degrees in Corpus Christi.
