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Thursday, February 13, 1997

Snow blankets parts of West Texas; rain soaks Texas' eastern half

Winter returned to northern Texas on Wednesday, wreaking havoc on roadways but giving farmers and ranchers a reason to believe three years of drought might be letting up.

"I woke up around 4:30 and heard thunder," said Sundown rancher B.R. Carter, who explains he hasn't heard that sound much the past few years. "By a quarter to 6, we had a good two inches (of snow), and by 11 o'clock or so, we had 12 inches."

By his measure, Carter had 13 inches of snow on his ranch 40 miles southeast of Lubbock after noon. It continued to fall there and throughout the South Plains during the afternoon, just one day after sunshine and temperatures near 60 degrees.

Officially, Lubbock and surrounding counties received anywhere from 1 to 6 inches of snow by Wednesday afternoon. Scattered early morning showers preceded the snow, dumping less than an inch of rain.

Large puddles filled many of Lubbock's streets, and slick roads and bridges contributed to dozens of minor accidents. Texas Tech's baseball game against TCU was canceled.

A hard overnight freeze was expected to make driving conditions even more treacherous early today.

Janette Wauson of Flowers Etc. in Brownfield, said she hadn't really considered handling the Valentine's Day crush in severe weather.

"The roads are really packed (with snow)," she said as her shop buzzed in preparation for Friday. "But I think we need the moisture really bad."

Meanwhile, rain fell virtually everywhere east of Interstate 35, prompting flood watches and warnings throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston areas and points in between.

"That's going to be our main problem," said Skip Ely, National Weather Service meteorologist in Fort Worth. "We're looking for the rain to end before the temperature gets below freezing. There may be a few flakes of snow, but I doubt it."

Two to 3 inches of rain were expected in Johnson and Ellis counties - south and east of Dallas - by today, with some low-water crossings closed.

Another cold front moving in tonight should push temperatures below freezing in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, with possible icing on bridges and overpasses.

Snow had been forecast along the Red River valley, though much of it fell as badly needed rainfall by the time it landed.

The National Weather Service predicted more of the same for most of Texas today, which Carter gladly will accept.

"The years we've had some good snow, we make darn good crops," said Carter, who lives amid Texas' cotton country. "We always look forward to a good 2- or 3-foot snow every year. But if we get 4 inches, that tickles me to death." Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story
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