I’m sure I don’t need to tell you; Mother Nature can be completely unpredictable. Seriously, one day can be nice, bright and sunny, and an hour or so later the weather does a 180 and it rains cats and dogs. I live in South Texas and for the past several years, we have had some really crazy weather. Don’t get the wrong idea, it hasn’t always been bad. Once or twice, the crazy weather has actually been pretty enjoyable. Take a seat and have a read about all the crazy weather we’ve had in Rockport, Tx through the years. Trust me, it’s been crazy
The Great Snow of 2004
While most of the crazy weather we’ve had the past few years has been brutal, this one was actually downright pleasant. It was Winter in 2004, and it was one to remember. Rockport is in South Texas, so what happened was extremely rare. It actually snowed! Over my lifetime, I’ve seen a few small flurries, but I’d only seen falling, piling, sticking snow up North and in New York. It was possible to have snowball fights and make angels. I don’t think I’d ever seen Rockport covered in white like it was. To top things off, this was December! The whole town had a White Christmas that year. That snow made 2004 a memorable Winter in Rockport. To ensure no one ever forgot that Winter, a book was published about it.
Arctic Winds
Sadly, not all crazy weather has been pleasant. Most of its been relentless. I don’t remember the year, maybe 2017, we suffered brutal cold. We like to surround our house with flowers and all kinds of fauna, so we watch the weather in case special measures are needed. That year, it was reported that we were in for fierce, cold. From what was said, it was recommended that everyone took precautions. Luckily, we weren’t going to be in town during the cold. We took many steps to keep everything safe. We wrapped up the pipes and faucets and wrapped up the plants. Hopefully, everything would be fine when we returned, they weren’t. Even covered, the cold took its toll on our greenery. So many plants died. Fixing things wasn’t, everything dead was cut, uprooted and replaced. Some stuff in the ground needed a chainsaw to be cut, it was nuts.
The Arctic Blast
Several years after the crazy winds took our fauna, even crazier weather headed our way. It was in 2021 or 2022, when Rockport was hit with what meteorologists called “the Arctic Blast.” To say things got cold would be an understatement. Instead of lovely snow like we got in 2004, this time Rockport nearly got frozen solid! I’m serious. We were in a real crisis at that time. Power was out all over town and there was no running water anywhere. And of course, everything was covered in ice, the grass, the plants, there were even patches of it on the ground! Several people left town; I think some went to a shelter. My folks and I were lucky, my mom’s best friend was staying in town, and she had a portable generator powering her electricity. My mom’s friend has been close to our family forever and she was more than willing to let us stay with her. It was nice to have lights and a roof over our heads, but the circumstances we were under were very challenging. Even though we had power, there was still no internet, so we had to rely on the Hotspot features of our phones to go online. And since there was no running water, we had to rely on bottled waters for drinking and brushing our teeth. Let me tell you, it was tricky getting the right amount from a bottle for dental purposes. One of, if not the most trying chores we had during the Arctic Blast was getting bathroom water. Without running water, we had to go back to our house just about every day to take water from our pool and bring it back to flush the toilets! If I remember right, a full bucket lasted about four flushes.
Recovering from the Crazy Weather of The Arctic Blast
The Arctic blast was one of the most challenging weather events of our time. Every day We checked to see if the water was back to no avail. It was getting tough; I think we were with my mom’s friend’s place for about four days or so. Eventually, the water came back after a few days and boy did it feel great to take a shower again. Pretty soon, we got word that power was back on, and the ice was starting to thaw. Soon, we were able to go back home and check on things. The Arctic Blast has to have been one of the coldest and craziest weather events Rockport has seen in decades. Thankfully there wasn’t permanent damage to our house, we just had to replace a few plants. lucky for us, most of the coverings worked this time around.
Dry Heat of 2023
Not all the crazy weather has been cold. I’m sure I don’t need to remind you of 2023, the driest year on record. Even outside the summer, 2023 is possibly the driest season Texas has seen in years. For months, there was not a drop of rain anywhere. I live in a coastal town, so it was hot. Ravines all over the tri-city area were dry and plants withered. On the days we did get rain, they were barely light showers. The hot rainless months were starting to have us worried. It wasn’t a drought everywhere, but it came close. Thankfully, late in the year relief came when the weather started getting cloudier and it finally stated raining regularly for a while. Pretty soon, the almost year long dry season ended. Here’s hoping we don’t have a repeat of that time for a while, it was downright balmy.
Conclusion to The Crazy Weather
Yep. Just like everywhere else on the map, Rockport, Tx has seen its share of crazy weather. sometimes its been pleasant, others completely dreadful. We’ve had our fair share of bad storms, and we’ve even been through the worst of it, Hurricane Harvey. I’d tell you about our time after Harvey, but that’s another whole blog. Anyway, remember, crazy weather like what you’ve read about can happen anywhere, anytime. My advice for avoiding it: watch the news and plan accordingly. Trust me, It can really help out