GOD & TEXAS: Texas Weather

“Texas is a land of eternal drought, interrupted occasionally by Biblical floods!” These words are often attributed to Galveston meteorologist Isaac Cline, whose forecast underestimated the strength of the 1900 hurricane.

Though modern meteorologists have improved instruments, they still have great difficulty forecasting Texas weather. Perhaps they could just say, chili today, hot tamale! Of this I’m certain: the heat in a Texas summer can be hotter than blue blazes. 

Researching the Battle of Medina on Aug. 18, 1813, you quickly realize that the soldiers battled against guns, swords, and the oppressive summer heat. In what many consider Texas’ bloodiest military engagement, the armies fighting for independence from Spain were soundly defeated with over 1,300 soldiers slain.

But a Texas winter can be agonizingly cold. Remembered as the Big Die-up, the Arctic blizzard of 1886-87 caused some ranchers to lose 75 percent of their cattle. When the winter winds blow in the Panhandle, locals may be heard saying there’s nothing between Amarillo and the North Pole but a barbed wire fence. In 1899, three successive Arctic blasts hit south Texas. Reports indicate that ice covered Galveston Bay, and people skated on the San Antonio River.

In 1835, both the Battle of Conception and the Battle of Gonzales were shrouded in thick fog. And one of the coldest battles was the Battle of Coleto Creek in March 1836. The Texan soldiers fought valiantly wearing ragged clothing in the frigid and rainy weather. Ultimately, 10 were killed and 60 wounded with 342 captured by Mexican forces. 

Historians differ on the weather at the Battle of the Alamo. Some claim that the temperature was below freezing, while records from the Mexican army maintain that it was near 50 degrees at dawn on March 6, 1836.

Clearly, the weather in Texas has shaped history and determined where people will live. From the Great Arctic Outbreak of 1899 to the Dust Bowl of 1930, Texas has survived many weather catastrophes. 

It is during these dangerous times that Texans appreciate the value of prayer. At the height of the Dust Bowl, Father W. Schneider of St. Mary's in Fredericksburg prayed, “Look on our dry hills and fields, dear God, and bless them with the living blessing of soft rain. Then the land will rejoice, and the rivers will sing Your praises, and the hearts of men will be glad. Jesus, send the rain.”

While the 1900 hurricane raged, the Palmer family huddled near the attic of their home. They could hear pieces of the house being torn loose by the wind and waves. It was their young son Lee who prayed for all to hear: “Dear Jesus, make the waters recede and give us a pleasant day tomorrow to play, and save my little dog Youno.”

In the storms of life, remember the words of Psalm 61:2 ESV, “From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint. Lead me to the Rock that is higher than I.”

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