If you’re sitting in traffic on I-10 right now, sweating through your shirt because it’s 95 degrees with 80% humidity, the idea of a winter wonderland feels like a fever dream. But the question of did Houston get snow isn’t just about curiosity. It’s a point of pride, a source of trauma, and a bit of a local legend.
Houston and snow have a complicated relationship. It’s like that one cousin who only visits once every ten years, breaks a lamp, scares the dog, and then disappears before breakfast. Most of the time, our "winter" is just a damp, gray Tuesday where the temperature drops to 45. But every so often, the atmosphere does something truly weird.
The Short Answer for 2026
No. Not lately.
As we sit here in early 2026, the Bayou City hasn't seen a significant, measurable blanket of white stuff in the last year. We’ve had some close calls—those nights where the local news meteorologists start getting that frantic, excited look in their eyes—but mostly it’s been cold rain and a little bit of sleet that melts before it even hits the pavement.
Honestly, that’s probably for the best. We don't do well with it. Give a Houstonian a quarter-inch of slush and the entire city forgets how to operate a motor vehicle.
Why Everyone Still Talks About 2021
You can't talk about snow in this city without talking about Winter Storm Uri. That was the big one. February 2021.
That wasn't just "snow." That was a total system failure. While the images of a white-covered downtown or a frozen-over Buffalo Bayou looked beautiful on Instagram, the reality was anything but. We're talking about a city where the infrastructure is built to shed heat, not retain it.
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Most people remember the flakes, but they remember the sound of pipes bursting even more. Or the eerie silence of a neighborhood with no power for four days. According to the National Weather Service, Houston (specifically Bush Intercontinental Airport) recorded about 2 inches of snow during that event. Some areas on the west side, like Katy and Cypress, saw closer to 4 inches.
It was surreal. People were skiing down the overpasses on the 610 Loop. I saw a guy trying to use a boogie board as a sled on a ditch embankment. It’s funny until you realize the power grid is failing and your indoor temperature is 40 degrees.
The Historic Record: More Frequent Than You Think?
If you look at the long-term data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Houston actually gets a "trace" of snow more often than the rest of the country realizes. Since 1895, it has snowed roughly 35 to 40 times in the city.
- 1895: The legendary "Big One." We're talking 20 inches of snow. Can you even imagine? The city would simply cease to exist if that happened today.
- December 2004: A true Christmas miracle. It snowed on Christmas Eve. It was the kind of soft, fluffy stuff you see in movies, and it actually stuck.
- December 2008 and 2009: Two years in a row! That’s basically an Arctic tundra by Texas standards.
- December 2017: This one caught people off guard. It was enough to make a decent snowman, provided your snowman was about eight inches tall and mostly made of grass.
What People Get Wrong About Houston Weather
There’s this misconception that because we’re near the Gulf, it can’t snow. That’s not how it works. Actually, the Gulf is often why we get such weird winter weather.
You need a perfect "goldilocks" scenario. First, you need a massive shove of Arctic air coming straight down the plains. Then, you need a low-pressure system to pull moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and slide it right over that cold air. If the timing is off by two hours, you just get a cold drizzle. If the temperature is two degrees too high, you get a "wintery mix" (which is just a fancy way of saying "misery").
Most people asking did Houston get snow are usually seeing photos of "graupel."
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Wait, what is graupel?
It’s basically snow pellets. It looks like Dippin' Dots fell from the sky. It’s not quite hail, and it’s not quite snow. It happens when supercooled water droplets freeze onto a falling snowflake. We get that fairly often, but purists will tell you it doesn't count.
The Economic Toll of a "Little Dusting"
When it snows in Boston, they plow the streets and go to work. When it snows in Houston, the city shuts down. This isn't because we're "soft." It’s because we don't have the equipment.
Why would the City of Houston spend millions of taxpayer dollars on a fleet of snowplows and salt trucks that will sit in a warehouse for 360 days a year? They wouldn't. It makes no financial sense. So, we rely on sand trucks and "wait for it to melt."
The problem is the ice. Because our ground doesn't stay frozen, that first layer of snow often melts slightly and then refreezes into a sheet of black ice. That’s the real killer. It’s why the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) closes the flyovers and elevated ramps at the first sign of a flake.
How to Prepare for the Next "Big One"
Look, we know it's going to happen again. Maybe not this year, and maybe not next, but the cycles of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) eventually bring the cold. When the "did Houston get snow" headlines start popping up again, you don't want to be the person fighting over the last gallon of milk at H-E-B.
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Practical steps for the next freeze:
- Insulate your pipes now. Don't wait for the cold front. Buy the foam sleeves during the summer when they're 50 cents and nobody wants them.
- Learn where your water shut-off valve is. This is the most important piece of knowledge a Houston homeowner can have. If a pipe bursts, you need to kill the water in seconds, not minutes.
- Keep a "Go Bag" for your car. If you get stuck on the freeway because an 18-wheeler jackknifed on an icy bridge, you'll want a blanket and some water.
- Drip the faucets. This is a Houston tradition. If the temperature is staying below freezing for more than a few hours, keep a tiny stream of water moving.
- Check on your neighbors. Especially the elderly. Houston is a big city, but we survive these things by acting like a small town.
The Reality of Climate Shifts
Is it getting rarer? It’s hard to say. While average temperatures are rising, some atmospheric scientists suggest that a warming Arctic actually weakens the jet stream. This "wobbly" jet stream can allow frigid air to escape the North Pole and dive deeper south than it used to.
Basically, we might get fewer cold days overall, but when we do get hit, the swings might be more extreme. It's the "all or nothing" weather pattern that has become the hallmark of the 2020s.
So, while we haven't seen a white blanket over the Space City lately, the atmospheric ingredients are always there, just waiting for the right moment to turn a humid afternoon into a historic event. For now, enjoy the sun. But maybe keep a heavy coat in the back of the closet, just in case.
Next Steps for Houstonians:
If you want to stay ahead of the curve, start monitoring the Space City Weather blog during the winter months. Eric Berger and Matt Lanza provide the most "no-hype" forecasting in the region, which is essential when every other local news outlet starts screaming about "Winter Storm Watch" the moment a cloud looks slightly gray. Also, take five minutes this weekend to verify that your outdoor spigots are actually covered; a cheap styrofoam cover is much cheaper than a plumber's emergency call-out fee.