The stereotypical Texas experience that everyone imagines is usually hot and humid. Not a bone-chilling snowstorm that locks everyone in their houses for up to a week. From a seemingly chilly week to a snowstorm that has left Texas with the fear of another power outage, snowstorms that have never been seen before have become increasingly common over the last decade.
To many of us Texas residents, the idea of a major snowstorm every other winter has only recently become a reality. The infamous 2021 Texas snowstorm caused multiple power outages that left over 4.5 million homes stranded for days on end, according to CBS News. Just earlier this year, Texas experienced another snowstorm that caused many districts, like Frisco ISD, to stop operating for almost a whole week. With the fear of a repeat of what happened during the 2021 snowstorm, many Texans rushed to stores to stock up on essential survival supplies just in case of the worst possible outcome.
As the Texas winters increasingly experience more snow, the Texas state government has not made significant long-term investments in improving the lives of Texans during these harsh snowstorms. There are some federal and state programs, like the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, that provide weather-resilient upgrades for low-income families’ homes, but only some can qualify, leaving many families without these crucial protections from snowstorms. Without significant funds, the best Texans can do in these harsh snowstorms is bundle up and hope for the best.
Even if it seems like winters in Texas are getting colder, that’s actually not the case. The average winter in Texas is actually getting warmer. While it might not seem like it, the temperatures of Winter in Texas are getting warmer and warmer ever so slightly throughout the years. The illusion of harsher winter storms makes it seem like our weather is getting colder, but actually, it is the opposite. The increase in global warming has made Texas winters warmer, but also made unpredictable weather conditions more prevalent in recent years. As the Earth gets warmer, the polar jet stream gets more unstable as it pushes Arctic air further south than normal. This Arctic air and warm air that’s already present in Texas cause snow to accumulate more in the air and create large snowstorms. Seasonal weather patterns like El Niño and La Niña also affect how hot and cold winters can be. La Niña carries more warm air, which has caused many of Texas’ recent Decembers to be warmer than February and January.
These inconsistent weather patterns are not just affecting the winter in Texas either. In this past decade, the increase in global temperatures has caused Texas to have way hotter summers, more frequent flash floods, droughts, hurricanes, and tornadoes. These problems are not going to go away as Climate Change gets worse and worse as the years go by. Texan lives are in danger, and there is little to no progress in long-term disaster relief or solutions. With no clear solutions, Texans need to work harder for their voices to be heard by the state for the safety of us all.
