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An American Southerner Explains Snow To the North

An American Southerner Explains Snow To the North


In Texas, there are a few places that get the occasional snow, but for the most part year around it's about 75F+, emphasis on the plus + humidity. It's frickin' hot here. The joke is to bring a sweater when you visit, not because it's cold, but because everywhere you go will have the A/C pumping on high to keep everyone cool.

An American Southerner Explains Snow To the North


So what happens when just a teeny tiny little once in a generation snow storm decides to blanket the entire south and southeast with snow including some places that have not seen snow since the 1960s, or the 1800's...you get panic, you get car accidents, school and work get cancelled, there are power outages, there are pipes bursting, and sadly, there are always people who die.

In 2021, we had such a storm. It didn't drop too much snow on us, but the temperatures were frigid, and in the middle of this, if you didn't know, Texas which has it's on power grid separate from the rest of the US, shut down its power system due to the overwhelming strain on it, coupled with its lack of winterization first in brown outs which are like rolling blackouts, and then bam, it was just off for huge swaths of the city for hours, and in some cases for days. It is estimated that nearly 250 people died from this one event alone. There were medical emergencies whereby first responders could not reach people in time due to poor driving conditions, multiple deadly car pile ups, many died due to carbon monoxide poisoning from trying to stay warm in garages in cars or with other heaters that exposed them to the gas, some unhoused died on the streets of hypothermia, some died from fires and tipped candles trapping them inside...it was an actual nightmare.

It's not actually funny when northern states make jokes about southern states "freaking out" over "a little" snow. From our standpoint, financially it has never made sense to spend state money on snow plows, and special insulation for housing, or heating elements for cars/buildings, or for the individual--I know no one who owns even basics like snow tires or ice scrapers. Our big box stores barely even carry jackets, and gloves because they are not an item that sells well, go figure. Honestly, if your state never experienced something like say a tornado before, and one is now suddenly on the way, does that mean, your state has tornado sirens or that you have an underground shelter ready to go---no. It's the same with snow in the south. What sense does it make to buy something like a snow plow if you NEVER get snow?!?

An American Southerner Explains Snow To the North


And for those of you wondering in the north, why we shut down schools and work for "just a little snow," it's because it is a major hazard to have to deal with, in my case, a city of 2 million people who basically have never driven on snow/ice. When we last had icy road conditions, within one hour, there were 217 road accidents. By closing down schools and work, you make it safe for first responders to be able to focus and do their jobs and help people who would have had medical emergencies anyway, vs. have to deal with people creating them. Keep in mind too that school puts a lot of kids on the road, and you don't want them to be in car accidents and things putting them in danger for one or two days of snow. It's really not worth it. Saves the city more money to shut things down, then for them to keep them open.

So the next time, you're sitting there in the north laughing and pointing fingers, just keep in mind that down here, snow is no joke. It can and has killed, and when it happens, cities are better off taking the cautious route and keeping people home, rather than endangering first responders and themselves by having them out on the roads.

An American Southerner Explains Snow To the North
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