The Inevitable One or Two Snow Days of South Austin
It happened again. Like clockwork.
Austin, Texas gets a day or two of sub-zero temperatures and suddenly the city feels like it hit the pause button. Roads empty. Schools close. Group texts light up with photos of frozen lawns like we’ve just discovered a new planet. The first few years I lived here, I thought it was a joke.
I grew up in Utah. Literally on the side of a mountain. I learned to drive in snow. It’s not that hard. Slow down. Pay attention. Don’t panic when your car hits ice. Steer into it. Breathe. So when Austin shut down for what looked like a light dusting, I was confused. Mildly judgmental. Definitely smug. What I didn’t realize is t
A Guide to Surviving a South Austin Freeze
(Or: Why Your House Is Tough, But Not “Arctic Tundra” Tough)
Homes in Austin are not built for cold weather. They can handle a short freeze just fine, but when temperatures stay below freezing for extended periods, your house starts feeling stress in places it didn’t even know it had. If a plumber were writing this blog, here’s what they’d tell you.
First, they’d laugh gently and say, “Y’all build houses for heat, not for Minnesota.” Then they’d get serious. Because extended cold is not just uncomfortable. It’s expensive.