Almost as surprising as the snow in Houston on Tuesday morning was the quiet that descended with it.
A city accustomed to the constant hum and roar of traffic fell silent under the steadily accumulating blanket of snow. While a few drivers inched along unplowed roads of nearly unbroken white, officials warned residents not to risk the dangerous conditions.
The arrival of snow brought shrieks of delight from children eager to toss snowballs in a city that had not seen significant snow in years. But the specter of the devastating 2021 winter storm, which knocked out the electricity grid across Texas and killed more than 200 people, loomed large. Many Texans now greet winter weather by checking the grid’s real-time status.
Tuesday morning’s storm already brought more snow to the region than the 2021 storm did, which also began with some excitement when the snow began to fall.
“This is the most snow I’ve ever seen and I’ve been here since 1970,” said George Card as he swept snow from his front porch in the Heights neighborhood of Houston, near downtown. “It’s coming down serious,” Mr. Card added looking at the seemingly blizzard-like conditions.
Mr. Card, 76, who is originally from Lynn, Mass., said he like others would most likely hunker down for the day and wait for warmer weather, which is expected later in the week, to melt the accumulation. “My mentality, living down here so long, is the sun does the shoveling,” he said.
The post A Silent, Snowy Houston Has Its Residents Joyful but Also Wary appeared first on New York Times.
