Cold Hard Facts of the Texas Freeze

In Houston, CoreLogic, the property research and analytics company, gathered together five researchers on a warm, March day to answer a question that’s been on the lips of most Texans since those lips were shivering and those teeth were chattering a month or so ago.

What happened in mid-February that caused the Lone Star State to get so damn cold, for so long, and with so much damage?

The word “shock” was repeated frequently during a webinar Tuesday recalling the destructive chill.

Meteorological Phenomenon = Fahrenheit Fall

A senior professional from CoreLogic said the shot of super-icy air that brought Texas to a shivering halt was actually set off by a meteorological phenomenon that saw temperatures around the polar vortex at the top of the world literally rise an incredible 100 degrees, from -110 to -10 degrees.

Curtis McDonald said that blast of chilly heat caused the vortex that regularly spins with stability around the North Pole to “wobble” and eventually split into pieces. At least one piece “spilled” downward to the U.S.-Canada border, and little by little, trickled down to the South Texas border, creating “the coldest air that Texas has seen in 30 years.” It also spread a snowpack from the Dakotas through the Plains to the Rio Grande, keeping the land masses even chillier.