The Good, the Bad, the Cold: A Look Back at Winter Storm Uri by Stephen Lucke If you’re from San Antonio, then you
then the front came out of seemingly
probably long for snow every winter.
nowhere. By Saturday morning the 13th, it
When the cold season comes around,
was 32 degrees and dropping. Leading up
many of us watch nostalgic films such as
to the cold front, gardeners around the
The Grinch, Rudolph, or A Christmas
city were doing everything they could to
Story. All of these movies have one thing
cover their plants. Normally a freeze
in common, and it’s something that San
doesn’t last more than 12 hours, and
Antonio rarely gets - snow! This past
almost never does one last longer than 24
February, when the forecast predicted
hours, so it made sense to protect
temperatures in the twenties and teens,
everything possible. True to the forecast,
any regular San Antonian would simply
the sun didn’t return quickly to warm
shrug it off, and say, “sure.” Well, this
things up as usual. Instead, the
winter was different. It answered the
temperatures continued to dive lower. By
prayers of thousands around the city, and
Monday morning, some areas of San
reminded us of the old adage to “be careful
Antonio hit the single digits and were
what you wish for!”
buried in 6 inches of snow!
Winter Storm Uri became a topic of
Then havoc set in Texas, with power grids
discussion the first week of February. Just
shutting down and water systems soon to
days before Uri got close, San Antonio
follow. While plants were the least of San
was a warm and sunny 70 degrees. And
Antonians' concerns, I couldn’t help but
32 | Spring 2021 | Cultivate SA