Comparing the deadly 2021 freeze to the 2025 snowfall that hit southeast Texas

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Stacking up the 2021 freeze to the snowfall in 2025 is an apples-to-oranges comparison.

The first big difference is the size of the storms.

In 2021, the cold weather impacted every single Texas county; this week's storm impacted the southeast. This fact made all the difference in the outcome.

Because the 2021 storm was so widespread, everyone was drawing large amounts of power from the independent Texas power grid.

Unable to borrow supply from other states, people used more than the grid had available, resulting in a catastrophic failure.

In 2021, over half the state lost power, plunging people into the dark and cold for weeks.

People died of hypothermia. Some resorted to using generators at home and died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

A lack of power made it hard for some to cook or follow boil water notices.

Some parts of Texas don't have snowplows or brine trucks, and iced-over roads cause intense crashes. Emergency crews couldn't get to destinations, and trucks had a hard time delivering food, resulting in a grocery shortage.

In total, almost 250 people died.

According to Houston Mayor John Whitmire, it's hard to compare the two events.

"Each storm, whether it's a hurricane or the loss of electricity, which was 2021, is different and unique," Whitmire said.

With a smaller portion of the state putting demand on the grid this time, CenterPoint Energy said 99% of customers kept their power. Even so, they had 3,000 workers at three staging areas ready to respond to outages.

People also stayed off the roads and at home, much to the pleasure of city leaders. On Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, Houston had three inches of snow.

"I give Houstonians so much credit for listening to us, being smart, using common sense, having some fun, but also staying off the roads. That was the key," Whitmire said.

Houston rarely sees snowfall. The top five snow events are:

• Feb. 14-15, 1895, with 20 inches of snow

• Feb. 12, 1960, with 4.4 inches of snow

• Jan. 30, 1949, with 3.1 inches of snow

• Jan. 21, 2025 with 3 inches of snow

So far for this winter storm, the city is commenting on the death of one person. The city reports an unhoused man was asked to go to a warming center but refused.

He was found dead, but it's not known if the death was caused by the cold or a preexisting condition.

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