The Texanist
April 19, 2024
The Texanist: Texas Gets More Tornadoes Than Any Other State, but Don’t Freak Out
Here’s how to prepare for tornado season, which is still relatively low-risk.
Weather
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The Texanist
April 1, 2024
The Texanist: The Eclipse Forecast Is Not Looking Good, Y’all
But it’s still too early to say for sure, and the experience should be spectacular regardless.
News & Politics
March 1, 2024
Answer Me This: Is “Crazy” Texas Weather Getting Crazier?
Droughts, arctic blasts, heat waves—senior editor Alex Samuels explains what the future holds for the state's notoriously chaotic climate.
News & Politics
January 12, 2024
You Can Prep Your Plants, Pets, and Pipes for a Texas Freeze. But What About Your Peace of Mind?
Plants covered, pets inside, pipes wrapped, and faucets dripping. A calm and confident attitude? Harder won.
News & Politics
January 8, 2024
Fire, Ice, and Wind: Texans Brace for Impact as Severe Weather Swallows the State
Whether it’s a Panhandle blizzard, a Houston thunderstorm, or a South Texas fire hazard, no matter where you are in Texas, there’s no escaping the chaos.
News & Politics
January 5, 2024
Are Texas’s Abnormally Warm Winters the New Normal?
During the height of Texas’s unbearably hot summer a few months ago, I told you all how excited I was for winter. The period of June through August—when temperatures reached the triple digits and it was impossible to step outside without breaking a sweat—was a true test of my
Travel & Outdoors
December 13, 2023
Texas Sage Is the Weatherman of the Plant World
Folklore holds that our state native shrub, also called the barometer bush, can predict rain. The truth is a little more complex.
Being Texan
November 3, 2023
Texans Should Embrace the Time Change. It’s One of Few Seasonal Markers We Have.
In lieu of fall foliage and chilly weather, at least we get to turn back the clocks.
News & Politics
August 28, 2023
Here’s What to Expect From an El Niño Winter
Meteorologists predict a cool, wet winter as the Pacific jet stream floats over Texas.
Politics & Policy
July 27, 2023
Fahrenheit 105: Why I No Longer Love the Texas Heat
I like to think I am Texas Tough when it comes to the heat. But lately, my fortitude has been tested.
BBQ
June 28, 2023
Devastating Storms Ended Up Blessings in Disguise for This Barbecue Joint
Wild weather in Slaton forced the owners of Pitforks and Smokerings BBQ to face the past—and move their restaurant into the future.
Health
June 27, 2023
Texas Has Entered a New Era of Extreme Heat
Texans have never been afraid of summer temperatures. This year’s record-breaking heat wave should make us think twice.
Sports
June 26, 2023
Meet the Dallas Weatherman Who Once Pitched to Bo Jackson
Before Pete Delkus was known for joshin’ it up on the news, he was a sidearm pitcher who nearly made it to the major leagues.
Texas History
June 20, 2023
What Hurricane Harvey Taught Us (and Didn’t Teach Us)
Six years ago, the mother of all storms arrived and brought home a lesson too many of us have refused to learn: our penchant for bravely adapting to circumstances has its limits.
Travel & Outdoors
June 9, 2023
Texas Could See 100-Degree Days Next Week. How Does That Compare to Years Past?
In other words, it’s hot.
Being Texan
December 20, 2022
15 Items to Add to Your Winter Emergency Kit
May we suggest tickets to Cancun?
The Texanist
December 13, 2022
The Texanist: Will We Get Relief From the Drought Anytime Soon?
A Johnson City man is worried that life is starting to resemble Elmer Kelton’s ‘The Time It Never Rained’ once again.
Being Texan
August 31, 2022
4 Signs It’s “Fall” in Texas
Texans don’t celebrate the start of fall so much as they spend a solid one to two months willing summer to end.
News & Politics
August 12, 2022
Another Extreme Texas Winter? Here’s What the Farmers’ Almanac (Right “About 85% of the Time”) Predicts
The periodical, first published in 1818 and known for its simplistic and broad extended forecasts, says its largest readership is in Texas. We talked with the editor about why that might be—and what’s in store for the state this winter.
Being Texan
June 7, 2022
Toad Stranglers and Sudden Summers: A Guide to Texas Weather Words
Texas has wild weather. We need a lexicon to match.
Being Texan
November 17, 2021
14 Ways to Prepare for the Next Winter Freeze
Texas experts share their best advice on emergency kits, weatherizing your home, connecting with neighbors, and more.
News & Politics
June 29, 2021
Eric Berger Knows Which Way the Wind Blows
The meteorologist’s no-nonsense website Space City Weather has established a cult following in flood-prone, hurricane-battered Houston.
Libations
June 17, 2021
A Hot and Thirsty Texan’s Guide to the Most Refreshing Shapes of Ice
When ERCOT doesn't want you to turn your thermostat below 82, frozen water is all you have.
Travel & Outdoors
December 17, 2020
It Snowed Across America, and We’re Not Jealous. We Swear.
It’s beautiful! Enjoy shoveling all of that.
Best Thing in Texas
October 11, 2019
The Best Thing in Texas: It’s Cold
After the longest summer we can remember, the seasons are finally changing.
Being Texan
October 3, 2019
The Summer That Wouldn’t Die
I left Texas after the brutal summer of 2011, only to return in time for the hottest September on record.
Being Texan
September 13, 2019
Legends of the Fall
Those wistful end-of-summer photos on Instagram have us deeply envious.
Politics & Policy
June 10, 2019
South Texas Was Hotter than Death Valley Last Week
Falcon Lake hit a balmy 116 while the heat index in Brownsville was an eyeball-melting 128 degrees, nine degrees warmer than Death Valley.
The Culture
May 10, 2018
We Ranked the 2018 Hurricane Names By How Intimidating They Are
If Gordon makes landfall, run.
The Daily Post
November 15, 2017
Storms as Severe as Harvey Will Become Much More Likely, According to Study
By the end of the 21st century, a 100-year storm like Harvey could become a five-and-a-half-year storm in Texas.
The Daily Post
August 28, 2017
Here’s What It Was Like To Evacuate Houston During Hurricane Rita
Kam Franklin tried to flee the city in 2005. This time, she stay put.
The Daily Post
August 26, 2017
Flooded Twice Before, Houston Family Vows Never Again
The Shefman family has taken drastic measures to protect their home from storms like Harvey.
The Daily Post
August 26, 2017
Hurricane Harvey Brings Devastation, Injuries to Rockport
The Category 4 storm downed power lines, damaged buildings, and injured at least ten residents.
The Daily Post
May 23, 2017
A Texas Couple Got Engaged in Front of a Tornado
An engagement photo with a twist(er).
The Daily Post
August 17, 2016
A Central Texas Driving Instructor Is Giving Lessons On Driving In The Rain
It’s the definition of a public service.
Infographic
May 27, 2016
The Houston Flood
How the Bayou City has become so vulnerable to flooding.
The Culture
April 20, 2016
Wimberley Storm Warning
A year ago, the Blanco River overran its banks and devastated Hays County—just as a handful of government officials had predicted decades ago.
Energy
January 27, 2016
Something in the Air
For a few months every year, life in West Texas is defined by the wind.
The Daily Post
June 17, 2015
Still Bill
Houston goes a bit nuts over a storm that was nothing like the Memorial Day floods.
The Daily Post
June 16, 2015
Hi, Tropical #Bill: What to Expect, How to Stay Safe, and Who Will Get Hit the Worst
Tropical Storm Bill is on his way, and the already-saturated state of Texas is doing all it can to get ready.
The Daily Post
June 4, 2015
The Problems With “100-Year Floods”
They seem to happen a lot more often than once a century, for one thing.
The Daily Post
June 2, 2015
Here’s How Much Water Has Fallen Over Texas
In the month of May alone, enough rain fell on Texas to cover the state in eight inches of water.
The Daily Post
May 26, 2015
Three Feet High and Risin’
After ravaging the Hill Country, the Memorial Day rains played havoc on Houston.
The Daily Post
May 26, 2015
The Central Texas Memorial Day Flood 2015 Is One for the History Books
The highest flood ever recorded in the state of Texas wreaked havoc on the Blanco and tore through downtown Austin over Memorial Day weekend.
The Daily Post
January 27, 2015
Gosh, It’s Nice Out
Like our friends in New York, who avoided a blizzard, Texans are sitting pretty with some pretty great weather today.
The Daily Post
May 29, 2014
Mad Scientist Wants to Build a 100-Mile-Long, 1,000-Foot-Tall Tornado Wall in Texas
We don't see what could possibly go wrong.
Energy
January 21, 2013
Texans Urged to Conserve Power as Temperatures Hit Triple Digits
Energy usage for the month of June broke records for two days in a row, as ERCOT and the Public Utilities Commission scramble to prevent rolling blackouts.
January 21, 2013
Tornado-Ravaged Dallas-Fort Worth
Devastating photos and incredible video of the twisters that hit North Texas Tuesday afternoon.
The Culture
January 1, 2012
Joe Arellano, Meteorologist
Arellano, who was born and raised in McAllen, is the meteorologist-in-charge at the National Weather Service forecast office in New Braunfels. His career, which began in 1976, has taken him all over Texas, as well as to Puerto Rico and Florida.There’s an old saying here in Texas: “Either you’re in
The Culture
March 31, 2009
How to Chase a Tornado
The RationaleTexas soil is arguably Mother Nature’s favorite dance floor: More twisters touch down here annually than in any other state (132 on average). As a result, storm chasers consider the Panhandle and Red River Valley requisite destinations during tornado season (April through June). This activity won’t suit the lily-livered