February 2021 winter storm and Texas freeze: the South and central US
10–19 February 2021 · Northwest, central and eastern US; worst in Texas
Named Winter Storm Uri by The Weather Channel, a private company [4]. The National Weather Service does not name winter storms.
An Arctic outbreak with snow, sleet and freezing rain reached deep into Texas in mid-February 2021. Days below freezing brought widespread power outages that lasted several days; it is the costliest winter storm in NCEI's billion-dollar record for 1980 to 2024.
What happened
- Dallas/Fort Worth fell to -2°F on 16 February and stayed at or below freezing for 139 consecutive hours (13 to 19 February); Waco's 205 consecutive hours set a record. [2]
- DFW Airport had 5.0 inches of snow; ice reached up to half an inch in Central Texas. [2]
- Houston fell to 13°F and College Station to 5°F on 16 February; NWS Houston issued its first-ever Wind Chill Warning. [3]
- A pileup of more than 100 vehicles on icy I-35W in Fort Worth on 11 February caused several deaths. [2]
Deaths
- 262 deaths in NCEI's billion-dollar disaster record ("Northwest, Central, Eastern Winter Storm and Cold Wave"), across all affected states. [1]
Power outages
- Ice and extreme cold caused widespread power outages that lasted several days across Southeast Texas. [3]
Cost
$22.7 billion at the time, or $27.2 billion adjusted for inflation by NCEI [1]. NCEI's record name: Northwest, Central, Eastern Winter Storm and Cold Wave (February 2021).
States named in the sources used here: Texas.
Questions
When was the February 2021 winter storm and Texas freeze?
10–19 February 2021, across: Northwest, central and eastern US; worst in Texas.
How many people died?
262 deaths in NCEI's billion-dollar disaster record ("Northwest, Central, Eastern Winter Storm and Cold Wave"), across all affected states.
Why is it called Winter Storm Uri?
Uri is a name from The Weather Channel, which has named winter storms each season since 2012-13. The National Weather Service does not name winter storms, so its own summaries describe this storm by date and area.
Sources
- NOAA NCEI, U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters, events 1980-2024
- NWS Fort Worth/Dallas: "February 2021 Winter Event"
- NWS Houston/Galveston: "2021 Valentine's Week Winter Outbreak"
- The Weather Channel, "Winter Storm Names 2026-27" (how and why it names winter storms)
US government sources are public domain. Figures are quoted as the sources give them; this site has not added to or adjusted them.
Other major US winter storms
- February 22-23, 2026 East Coast blizzard · 22–23 February 2026
- January 24-26, 2026 winter storm · 24–26 January 2026
- January 2025 Gulf Coast snowstorm · 20–22 January 2025
- January 2024 Arctic outbreak and winter storms · 12–18 January 2024
- December 2022 winter storm and Buffalo blizzard · 21–26 December 2022
- January 2019 polar vortex cold · 30–31 January 2019
- February 2011 Groundhog Day blizzard · 1–3 February 2011
- January 1998 ice storm · 5–9 January 1998
- March 1993 Superstorm · 11–14 March 1993
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