Could Texas Get More Snow? Old Farmer's Almanac Says Yes

AUSTIN, TX — If the Old Farmer's Almanac is to be believed — and why not, given its uncannily accurate predictions through the ages — we could see more snow around these parts.

The snowfall that descended upon much of Texas last Thursday seemingly took everyone by surprise. As was to be expected after a long streak of unseasonably warm days, people went a bit nuts over the snow flurries and accumulation that befell us. This mass reaction was vividly seen across social media, where a seemingly endless number of photographs of the snow were posted.

The Farmer's Almanac launched back (like really, really back) in the day by Benjamin Franklin was eerily prescient in predicting this month's snow, albeit off by a few weeks. "Winter will be colder than normal, with above-normal precipitation," the Almanac predicted for November through December and beyond, the text evoking images of the sage Franklin himself.

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But here's the kicker: We might be in store for even more snow later this winter, if the Almanac is accurate. "The coldest periods will be from late November into early December, from late December into early January, and in early February," the Almanac predicts. "Snowfall will be near to above normal, with the snowiest periods in late December and early to mid-February."

So either the Almanac folks augured early by about three weeks or we could see more snow by later this month and February. Given the happy hysteria over the past snowfall, it's a safe bet most wouldn't object to this.

Last week's snow made an impression even on the folks at the National Weather Service, who wrote a recap of the event on their website. It's not every day the NWS meteorologists, who've seen it all, offer a summary of a climactic event. And yet they have, giving it the title "December 2017 Snow Event."

Yeah, not too gripping of a title. Dammit, Jim! They're weather forecasters not professional journalists! The recap, however, is rather spellbinding in reminding of the wonderful aberration we saw in Central Texas last week. What forecasters lack in headline panache they make up for in the type of exhaustive detail they expertly compile on a daily basis.

It also helps explain to the layman how exactly that snow came to be formed, in terms that are surprisingly accessible to the non-scientist.

"On Tuesday, December 5th, a strong cold front moved through South Central Texas," forecasters pithily begin. "After record highs in the mid 80s on Monday, December 4th temperatures plummeted into upper 30s and low 40s on December 5th.

"A strong upper level trough axis on Wednesday, December 6th generated a cold rain across much of South Central Texas. Late that night and into Thursday morning December 7th, as the trough axis and deeper cold air moved south, a changeover to sleet and snow occurred across the southern Edwards Plateau and Rio Grande Plains."

Ah, yes, we remember it well. It was rather abrupt, the weather change! But do go on.

"This prompted Winter Weather Advisories to be issued for this region as light accumulations of snow and ice began to occur with temperatures dipping into the low 30s. A changeover back to rain occurred on the afternoon of December 7th. As the final piece of upper level support approached the region on the evening of December 7th a band of heavier precipitation developed through portions of the eastern Hill Country and moved east through the I-35 corridor and into the Coastal Plains.

"This band was generated from small scale processes under the influence of the upper trough and elevated cold front. Temperatures that had been above freezing throughout the rain event quickly lowered to freezing as strong lift helped cool the atmospheric column, allowing the snow aloft to make it all the way to the surface without melting."

Yes, we remember! We took photos of this implausible winter wonderland! It was especially exciting for the kiddos:

But, please, again, do continue, National Weather Service.

"For a brief time during the evening of December 7th and into the early morning hours of December 8th many locations near and east of I-35 experienced a heavy burst of snow from this mesoscale band," forecasters wrote. "A Winter Weather Advisory was issued for much of the southern and eastern Hill Country as well as along and east of I-35, including the cities of Austin and San Antonio."

Many of us started getting texts from loved ones in other parts of the state at around this time, alerting to the snow falling in their neck of the woods and photos from their homes and neighborhoods.

"Snowfall accumulation the morning of December 7th and again the night of December 7-8 occurred mainly on grassy surfaces, vehicles, roofs, and other elevated structures," meteorologists remind us. "Snowfall accumulation on roadways was limited to lesser traveled roadways across the Hill Country as well as a few elevated bridges and overpasses along and east of the I-35 corridor."

As far as accumulation, here's the official recap: "Snowfall totals ranged from a trace to up to 5 inches across South Central Texas," weather officials write. "The I-35 corridor and portions of the southern Hill Country generally experienced between 1 and 2 inches of snow, with isolated pockets of 2 to 4 inches. The San Antonio International Airport officially recorded 1.9 inches of snow, the highest snowfall total since the historic January 12-13, 1985 blizzard that produced 13.5 inches. 1.3 inches was officially recorded at Austin Bergstrom International and 0.4” at Austin Camp Mabry."

And, no, your memory didn't fail you. Last week's snow was the first measurable accumulation of the white stuff in several years. The National Weather Service recap jogs one's memory on this, with specific dates.

"Prior to this event the last measurable snowfall observed was February 6, 2014. at San Antonio International, February 4, 2011. at Austin-Bergstrom [International Airport], and January 22-23 at Austin Camp Mabry. The December 7-8 snow event ranks as the second earliest snowfall on record at San Antonio International (earliest was November 23, 1957) and the 4th earliest for the Austin area (earliest was November 14, 1959)."

So there you have it, the official synopsis of that wintry aberration that served to largely delight us all. Sadly, there is no snow in the forecast for this week [insert sad emoticon here]. Moreover, we'll be getting more unseasonably warm temps, the highest coming Monday, Dec. 11, when the mercury is expected to reach 75 degrees.

Here's what the rest of the week will look like in terms of Central Texas weather, according to NWS forecasters:

• Monday: Cloudy through mid morning, then clearing, with a high near 75. West northwest wind around 5 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. By Monday night, it'll be mostly clear, with a low around 44. South southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming north after midnight.
• Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 63. North wind 5 to 10 mph. Tuesday night will be mostly clear, with a low around 37. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
• Wednesday: It's expected to be sunny, with a high near 66. South southwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Nighttime will be partly cloudy, with a low around 42. South southwest wind around 5 mph becoming west after midnight.
• Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 64. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming north in the afternoon. Thursday night will be mostly clear, with a low around 40. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
• Friday: Sunny, with a high near 65 with Friday night mostly clear, with a low around 44.

You can utter the words "let it snow, let it snow, let it snow" as much as you want by the weekend. But unless something extraordinary occurs, your wish won't be granted. The National Weather Service predicts Saturday will be partly sunny, with a high near 69. Saturday night will stay well above freezing with a low of 49 degrees under mostly cloudy skies. Sunday will be a virtual carbon copy of the day before, with more partly sunny skies and a high near 69 degrees.

So sorry to be the bearer of snow-bereft news. But we have those wonderful memories from last week, don't we? And lest you think you were alone in waxing sentimental from past snowfalls, officials at Round Rock also had the reaction with reflexive posting of pictures of snow from way back in the day.

On the city's Twitter page last Thursday, officials dug way back into the archives to show residents one of the last times prior to last week the city was covered in snow. The photo dates to 1922 and shows a nascent Round Rock covered in snow. The population at the time was 900 people compared to the more than 110,300 today, according to U.S. Census figures.

So you're not alone in wishing for a White Christmas. And if the Old Farmer's Almanac is indeed the old faithful of prognosticators it claims to be, maybe — just maybe — we'll get one. Hey, stranger things have happened, no?

>>> Photos by Tony Cantú