An arctic blast is moving toward Texas, and with it comes a chance of snow on Austin’s weather forecast for next week.
From light dustings to historic snowfalls, let’s reflect on the history of snow in the Capital City together.
Average snow in Austin
Snow on the Texas Capitol grounds is a rare but beautiful sight.
Photo courtesy of Austin History Center, Austin Public Library
Freezing rain, sleet, and/or snow falls on Austin about once every two to three years. Austinites know that when it snows, it’s not likely to be a blizzard. Since 2010, snowfall has only exceeded one inch one time.
The annual snowfall average is ~0.2 inches in ATX, making Austin pretty snow-sparse compared to some other Texas cities, like:
- Lubbock: 7 inches
- Dallas: 1.7 inches
- Fort Worth: 2 inches
- Waco: 0.7 inches
However, Austinites do still get more snow than other nearby towns. Killeen and New Braunfels get so little snow that the cities report an annual snowfall of zero inches.
Historic snow in Austin
Historically, only seven winter storms have resulted in 5+ inches of snow sticking in ATX:
- 11 inches from Nov. 22-23, 1937
- 7 inches from Jan. 13-14, 1944
- 6.5 inches on Jan. 30, 1949
- 6 inches from Feb. 22-23, 1966
- 5.5 inches from Dec. 20-21, 1929
- 5.4 inches from Feb. 14-15, 2021
- 5 inches from Jan. 24-25, 1926
Our heaviest snow on record at 11 inches sounds like a lot — and it is — but it’s nowhere near record snowfalls in Texas’ other major cities:
- Houston, 1895: 20 inches
- San Antonio, 1985: 13 inches
- Dallas, 2010: 12.5 inches
Let’s not forget the largest snowfall in Texas history. In 1929, a smashing 26 inches fell on Hillsboro, just short of a two-hour drive north of Austin.
This image of Town Lake and the City of Austin Auditorium (where the Long Center now stands) was taken in February of 1967.
Photo courtesy of Austin History Center, Austin Public Library
Looking forward
As we brace ourselves for another cold front this week, be sure to read up on our guide to winter preparedness in Austin.
