(Tyler, Texas) – If there’s one thing we can’t handle well in East Texas it’s snow. If there’s half an inch on the ground, we might as well, as Jon Taffer would say, shut it down. When we get that inevitable combination of ice and snow, we don’t leave the house until it thaws.

Back in February of 2021, we had just celebrated Valentine’s Day, then an artic front blew through East Texas bringing several inches of snow of ice and sub-zero temperatures. At the time, I was living in Tyler while my girlfriend, now wife, was living in Lindale. It was a solid week of miserable weather for all of Texas.

2021 Snowmageddon in East Texas

In February of 2021, it was a winter storm like we had never seen in Texas. There were temperatures in the single digits and below zero across the state, including in East Texas. The inch or two of ice below the inches of snow made driving impossible. It was deadly and miserable.

As I observed during a few minutes outside five years ago today, on South Broadway, a Jeep skidded, regained control, then performed a 360 because of the ice on the ground. I would assume the Jeep was equipped with 4 wheel drive which only meant four wheels to spin on the ice.

Michael Gibson, Townsquare Media

Michael Gibson, Townsquare Media

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5 Year Anniversary of Snowmageddon

East Texans faced power outages for varying times. For instance, my girlfriend at the time, now wife, in Lindale didn’t lose power. Myself, in Tyler, did for a couple of days minus the periodic instances of it coming back on. Once it did come back on, I had no water. Oddly enough, the back half of my complex had power while the front half did not for a couple more days.

Once we finally hit above freezing temperatures that Friday, and for a few days afterward, we saw piles of snow that couldn’t melt because it was packed tighter than the snow on the ground. It was an unusual sight here for sure. We were so glad to see high temperatures in 40s. It actually felt “warm.”

Lucky Larry, Townsquare Media

Lucky Larry, Townsquare MediaLessons Learned From Snowmageddon in 2021

We learned a lot from that massive artic takeover. Do we want to go through it again? Of course not. But if that winter weather does take it’s hold on us for an extended period of time again, we’ll have a better handle of the situation.

Michael Gibson, Townsquare Media

Michael Gibson, Townsquare Media

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Looking Back on Snowmageddon in East Texas 5 Years Ago Today

Five years ago today, we were frozen in at our homes during Snowmageddon In East Texas.

Gallery Credit: Michael Gibson / Townsquare Media

Taking a Google Maps Trip of Lindale, Texas From 2008 to 2023

I thought it would be fun to go through Google Maps and see what my hometown of Lindale looked at in 2008 versus 2023.

Gallery Credit: Michael Gibson / Townsquare Media