In 1899 an Artic Outbreak (Blue Norther) froze Galveston Bay, killing fishermen and fish.
...THE COLDEST NIGHT IN TEXAS...
FEBRUARY 1899 WAS A VERY COLD MONTH...THANKS MOSTLY TO A BITTERLY COLD OUTBREAK FROM THE 11TH THROUGH THE 13TH. IN FACT...NOTHING IN THE HISTORY OF TEXAS QUITE COMPARES TO FEBRUARY 12TH 1899.
SOME OF THE COLDEST WEATHER THAT EVER HIT TEXAS OCCURRED ON FEBRUARY 12TH OF THAT YEAR. THE LOWEST TEMPERATE EVER RECORDED IN THE STATE OCCURRED AT TULIA IN SWISHER COUNTY IN THE EXTREME SOUTHERN PANHANDLE. THE THERMOMETER DROPPED TO 23 DEGREES BELOW ZERO. HOWEVER...THERE WERE UNOFFICIAL REPORTS THAT WERE EVEN COLDER...30 DEGREES BELOW ZERO...THAT NIGHT AT TWO OTHER LOCATIONS (WOLF CREEK AND AT A SITE SOUTHEAST OF PERRYTON...BOTH IN OCHILTREE COUNTY IN THE NORTHERN PANHANDLE).
THIS COLD AIR SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE STATE. THERE WERE EVEN REPORTS OF A THIN LAYER OF ICE COATING MOST OF GALVESTON BAY.
THE ALL TIME RECORD LOW TEMPERATURE THAT WAS ESTABLISHED AT TULIA WAS TIED YEARS LATER WHEN SEMINOLE...IN GAINES COUNTY OF WEST TEXAS...REPORTED A TEMPERATURE OF 23 DEGREES BELOW ZERO ON FEBRUARY 8 1933.
MANY TEXAS CITIES ESTABLISHED ALL-TIME RECORD LOW TEMPERATURES IN FEBRUARY 1899. BELOW IS A LIST OF THE RECORD LOWS AT VARIOUS CITIES ACROSS THE STATE.
ABILENE 9 BELOW ZERO SET IN 1947
AMARILLO 16 BELOW ZERO SET IN 1899
AUSTIN 2 BELOW ZERO SET IN 1949
BEAUMONT/PT. ART. 11 DEGREES SET IN 1930
BROWNSVILLE 12 DEGREES SET IN 1899
CORPUS CHRISTI 11 DEGREES SET IN 1899
DALLAS/FT. WORTH 8 BELOW ZERO SET IN 1899
DEL RIO 10 DEGREES SET IN 1989
EL PASO 8 BELOW ZERO SET IN 1962
GALVESTON 8 DEGREES SET IN 1899
HOUSTON 5 DEGREES SET IN 1930 AND 1940
LUBBOCK 17 BELOW ZERO SET IN 1933
MIDLAND/ODESSA 11 BELOW ZERO SET IN 1985
SAN ANGELO 4 BELOW ZERO SET IN 1989
SAN ANTONIO 0 DEGREES SET IN 1949
WACO 5 BELOW ZERO SET IN 1949 AND 1899
WICHITA FALLS 12 BELOW ZERO SET IN 1947
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lub/winterwxday/coldest.htm
(Blue Norther)
From “Texas gags”.
When a blue norther hits it freezes the bonfires
and the Texans grind them up to make chili powder.
Brrrr! The coldest weather I remember in Wisconsin in my lifetime was -20 and that was bad enough for up here!