AUSTIN, Texas — Fifty-one years ago this week, a winter storm for the record books struck Texas. From Jan. 9 to Jan. 11, 1973, snow and ice blanketed nearly all the Lone Star State as icy weather impacted Texas from the Panhandle to the Gulf of Mexico shores.
In Austin that week, it wasn’t just snow – ice pellets pounded the city. What made the storm of ‘73 so unusual was how long it lasted here. Ice and snow were reported off and on for three straight days.
Although it made weather history, two more recent January winter storms in Central Texas saw even more snow: nearly 8 inches on the ground in Austin in 2021 and just under 9 inches blanketed the city in 1985. The record for January snowfall occurred in 1937, when 11 inches covered the Capital City.
But despite the historic January snowfalls in Austin, a look back at Januarys over the past 60 years shows the first month of a new year has not been the “snowiest” month. According to Weather Service reports from January 1964 to the current month in 2024, Austin recorded 19 total snowfall days during the month of February from 1964 through 2023.
December ranked as the second-highest month for winter precipitation, with 13 days of snow during the month from 1964 through 2023. January was the third-snowiest month, with 11 recorded snowfall days in Austin from 1964 to the present time.