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HomeMy WebLinkAboutcatching the chillsCatching the chills Eagle photo /Gabriel Chmielewski Snow blankets the area around Jewett United Methodist Church snowflakes across the Brazos Valley on Saturday, including Col- in Leon County on Saturday afternoon. Forecasters expected up lege Station, which set a record low for the date of 36 degrees. to an inch of snow in Leon County. There were reports of Temperatures were expected to drop to 34 degrees overnight. Winter blast casts cold spell over Brazos Valley By KRISTY GILLENTINE accidents were attributed to the weather across the Brazos Valley by late Saturday. Leon County Game Warden Danny Flores The calendar says April, but Old Man Whiter said he knew sleet and snow were headed his blew back into the Brazos Valley on Saturday way, but he didn't think it would stick to the with record cold temperatures that dipped 20 ground the way it did. degrees below normal. . "I drove through Buffalo and it's almost whit - And, believe it or not, it snowed in some ed out. It looks like a blizzard," he said Satur- parts of the region while sleet hit the ground day evening. "People used to say, `Don't ever for almost an hour during the early evening. plan anything until after Easter because it Not exactly what Texans are used to on Easter might freeze.' Apparently that's still true Eve. because it's snowing in April. Then again, this Large and tiny white flakes covered parts of is Texas and you never really know what to Brazos, Leon, Milam and Robertson counties expect here." late Saturday, marking the first time it's A mixture of sleet and snow was reported Sat - snowed in College Station during the month of urday from College Station to as far south as April. Conroe, officials said. Brazos, Burleson, Snow was expected to accumulate in grassy Grimes, Madison and Washington counties areas, reaching about 1 inch, and cause some were expected to see more fall overnight and fraval rliffir 11fiae ae elirk ante fnrmnrl nn Eagle Staff Writer 3-DAY FORECAST SUNDAY High: 52 Low: 45 Mostly cloudy MONDAY High: 64 Low: 57 Slight chance of showers TUESDAY High: 79 Low: 61 Slight chance of thunder- storms bridges and overpasses after sunset. No major Source: National Weather Service Weather From Al into early Sunday morning. The storm should leave the area by around noon Sunday, taking any lingering rain with it, according to the National Weather Service. Meteorologists said that a pair of back -to -back distur- bances caused the weather anomaly. The first storm exit- ed the region early Saturday evening, just as the second swept over the area with more precipitation. A deep layer of cold air was supposed to allow snow, occasionally mixed with rain or sleet, to continue falling overnight. Prior to Saturday, the record low for Brazos County on April 7 was 37 degrees, set in 1971, according to the National Weather Service in Houston. The lowest temperature recorded Saturday at Easter - wood Airport in College Sta- tion was 36 degrees, and it was expected to drop to 34 degrees overnight. The st. ff at King's Orchard in Plantersville sat with their hands tied Saturday as they waited and watched the tem- perature drop. Anything 34 degrees or below could kill their entire crop of blackberries — 52 500 - foot rows, or five miles of berries — which is in full bloom this time of year. "It's raining right now, so we can't cover anything up," said Karen Crislip, manager of the orchard. "We have a really good crop of blackberries com- ing in, but they're so fragile. They're what we're most wor- ried about." Crislip said her blackberry crops could survive the unsea- sonably cold temperatures if it kept raining or drizzling throughout Saturday night. "Water falling on them cre- ates more heat so, even if it does freeze, they won't be hurt," she said. "We're nerv- ous, though. We're crossing our fingers that everything turns out OK." • Kristy Gillentine's e-mail address is kristy.gillentine@ theeagle.com.