Friday, December 4, 2009

Snow in Houston, Texas!!


I fully realize that most folks living in the northeastern USA or in the upper mid-western states or in the Rocky Mountain areas (Colorado, etc.) or anywhere else (for example, northern Europe or northern China, etc.) will chuckle, chortle, laugh or just shrug ("so what's the big deal ...") at all this fuss I am making but, hey, today's weather is a BIG deal for us Houstonians! Today marks the earliest recorded snowfall in Houston - ever. Never before has it snowed in Houston as early as December 4th!! Normally we go for several YEARS without any snow so when we do see some snow - even if only in small amounts - we are excited! And, today, the meteorological conditions were perfect! In my area of West Houston, we only experienced a light dusting of snow - about 0.5" to 1 " total accumulation. Outlying areas had up to 3 - 4 inches accumulation! And the best outcome of all .... our office workplace was closed at 12 noon. A perfect way to spend a winter day in Houston!

The snow by our apartment pool area. Talk about a strange juxtaposition!!

Snow covered vegetation .....



I managed to scrape up enough snow from these cars to make a few snowballs!!
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Follow-Up: Saturday was a superb day: clear, blue sky and very cool temperatures. The day began at 26 deg F and eventually rose to around 50 deg F (10 deg C). My neighbor's flowers all withered away from the thermal shock. Sadly, with the temperature quickly rebounding, it wasn't long before all traces of our recent snowfall disappeared. Oh well, our one day of winter! It sure was nice while it lasted!
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Madame Lefty: Welcome back! It's great to get another posting from you and also good to hear that your teaching job is going well. I must admit I was surprised to learn that our local school district (Houston Independent School District - HISD) kept classes going while our company - and many other large corporations - let their employees off from work! Oh well, it's still early in the season, maybe Houston will get a 'double-header' and receive yet another wintry blast! I hope!!
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Ron: Thanks so much for your suggestions! I am always afraid of checking my camera and lenses for fear of theft by the TSA and by baggage handlers!
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Nichole and Kyle: Many thanks for taking the time to leave comments and glad to hear you liked my posting!
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Hindsfeet: Glad you like my photography! It's my favorite hobby .... after traveling, of course!!

5 comments:

Liza said...

Oh god, you should have seen the schools. HISD didn't cancel classes and that was a mistake. Kids were skipping every class period to see the snow.

I just threw my hands up in the air, because I knew that no amount of passion for plot elements could overtake their fascination for snow.

I hear it was pretty chaotic at all the HISD high schools. Though I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'm pretty sure about 50-75% of the students at my school enjoyed it too.

MsJamusic said...

It was fun to see how the grown adults acted like little children when they saw the snow. they were so happy.

Ron said...

Great post, Chemist! I never knew it ever snowed in Houston. Wow! I'm really not looking forward to going back home in the mid-west and dealing with all that white stuff.

Oh, to answer your question about bags/camera gear:
I travel very light. My camera breaks down into little pieces and I assemble when I arrive. That way, I can carry my cameras with me wihtout having to check it in. In total, if I can travel with under five bags, I'm travelin light :)

PoMiFoS said...

I was on vacation from NJ in Arkansas and there was snow. Not only was I in Arkansas, but it was warmer in NJ!!!

Hindsfeet said...

Hi TC! Just had to comment on this one photo you took, the one of the snow dusted tree tops...SO GORGEOUS! You're giving Dan (D2 Photo) a run for his money! ; )

Always enjoy your pics, thanks for sharing!