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that would be nice but I am not holding my breath. Was anyone here during the snow of '85? That was cool.
S.A. could get some snow this winter
Web Posted: 12/10/2004 12:00 AM CST
René A. Guzman
Express-News Staff Writer
George Strait once sang, "There may not be snow in San Antonio, but it's a Texas Christmas to me."
Leave it to a local country crooner to call it like he sees it. Or in this case, doesn't see it. After all, snow and San Antonio haven't ever really been on speaking terms.
Still, there's a slight chance you might get a whisper of the white stuff this winter.
"There's a better than average chance. I would say at least that," says Bill Taylor, KENS 5 chief meteorologist.
Taylor says there's about a 30 to 40 percent chance that we'll see some measurable snow, thanks in large part to a Pacific moisture feed that's left S.A. on the soggy side lately.
Couple that moisture with the right drop in temperature and who knows, maybe San Antonio will get snow in time for the 20th anniversary of the Great Snow of '85. (That would be mid-January 1985, when the city recorded a record 13.5 inches.)
Seriously, how rare is snowfall in San Antonio? Put it this way: A Google search for "San Antonio snowfall" coughed up one hit — one — and that was for the snow info from the National Weather Service Southern Region Headquarters cited above.
So how do locals dreaming of a white Christmas get their snowflake fix? Well, they just have to get creative.
Over the years, some have tried to indoctrinate San Antonio to "snowtime" entertainment. Remember the old Oshman's sporting goods store in North Star Mall? It once had a treadmill ski slope that went the way of the dodo all too quickly.
Then there was the Herculean task of one Sammye Jo Smith. About eight years ago, the professor of kinesiology at San Antonio College introduced KINE 1155, Beginning Snow Skiing.
The ski class was meant to show students the thrills of the powdery slopes. Not in the Alamo City of course. Pupils would attend a ski seminar on an artificial slope at Texas A&M, then hit the real stuff in New Mexico and Colorado.
Alas, KINE 1155 never made it to the bunny slope. Three times the class was offered. Three times it failed to attract enough students.
Even Smith admits it was a tough sell. "(The school board told me) 'What are you going to do, ski down I-10?'" Smith recalls with a laugh. "I told them we were going to go to the highest part of SeaWorld."
Strangely enough, KINE 1155 is still listed in the campus catalog, though it's not offered in the class schedule. Call it wishful thinking.
Still, wishful thinking — and some cold cash — can get you a temporary winter wonderland. We speak, of course, of that other cold stuff: Ice, ice, baby.
Take ice sculptors. With enough notice and a decent deposit, these cool artisans can transform your wedding or other special event into a small piece of frosty heaven.
Dale Hess, owner of Awesome Ice Designs, often creates holiday ice art for yuletide clients. (He recently cranked out a giant ice nutcracker for the Plaza Club downtown.) Frozen Santas, ice Christmas trees (with lights!), and the ever-popular snowflake are always favorites.
Then there's the cool magic of Buddy Rasmussen, owner of Signature Ice Sculptures. Rasmussen can conjure an icy holiday scene with Christmas trees surrounding a home topped by a Santa in the chimney. Or for something simpler, he'll give you a good old snowman.
Whatever ice designs you choose, make sure you have plenty of green stuff for the cold stuff. Hess says the average ice sculpture goes for about $200 per ice block. According to SignatureIce.com, Rasmussen's 12-block holiday scene will set you back a cool $2,000.
For a cheaper ice experience, slap on some blades and head over to the Ice Center at Northwoods. The city's only ice rink caters to skaters of all ages and skill sets. Carve figure eights to your heart's content or cling to the sidewalls to avoid a frosted bottom. Lessons are available.
Prefer ice capades without setting foot on the cold stuff? There's always a hockey game.
Granted, hard-core hockey fans would love nothing more than to fling snowballs at the NHL for the current lockout, but you can still get your fix with the San Antonio Rampage. Game tickets start at less than $10, with front-row glass seats going for less than $80.
Of course, you can still enjoy some local-ish snow if you don't mind the drive.
Amarillo is a given, but weatherman Bill Taylor says the Texas Hill Country is your best bet for a relatively close snowy celebration. Kerrville, Junction and Fredericksburg are good locales for measurable snowfall, he says.
But there's a snowcapped San Antonio few locals know of — one that overlooks Los Angeles.
More affectionately known as "Mount Baldy," Mount San Antonio is the highest peak in the San Gabriel Mountains, the nearest 10,000-footer to the L.A. metro area, according to Peakware World Mountain Encyclopedia.
While hardly a climb of Everest proportions, Mount San Antonio does pose a bit of a challenge to beginning hikers. Still, once you top it you can brag you literally climbed "the top of San Antonio" to see some snow.
So you really can have a white Christmas if you swap your snowcap for your thinking cap. And if Taylor has his way, you should be able to wear them both this winter.
"Just for kicks and grins, for my daughters especially, I would love to see another good foot fall," he says.
Even if, as George Strait would sing, "it might look just like a summer day."
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that would be nice but I am not holding my breath. Was anyone here during the snow of '85? That was cool.
I've never seen snow.
Yep! Had enough for like 5 snowmen in my front yard!
We built a snowman with a t-shirt that said "No place else but San Antonio"
BTW, I owe you an apology dude, I didn't introduce myself and say hi to you at the GTG. My bad bro.
our weathermen can even predict rain correctly!
No sweat. You pointed out to me.We built a snowman with a t-shirt that said "No place else but San Antonio"
BTW, I owe you an apology dude, I didn't introduce myself and say hi to you at the GTG. My bad bro.
I've still got a pic somewhere of my snowman with a San Antonio Gunslingers hat and a can of Miller Lite.
And we had the most awesome game of street football EVER!
Ill believe it when I see it.
Just like this year's supposed "snow"
It was a few bits of ice on the ground, whoopdee doo.
Actually, the night it snowed this year was the last night I worked at SMT, and it snowed a good 2 inches there. That's on 410 and Rittiman. Bt the time I got out to my car, I had INCHES of ice on the windsheild because it had come down as very wet snow.
The drive home that morning was horrific. They decided to close the highway AFTER I was on it. I didn't get off but drove slow as on the upper decks downtown and did feel my car slide for a bit.
I think I passed about 15 accidents that morning on the way in.
If you read the forecast discussions like all good weather nerds are supposed to, this has been thrown out for a while. The overunning moisture you have present just needs some cold air at the surface to generate snow.
But, overunning doesn't usually produce heavy precip, so 1985 snow is not likely. Something more like last year is likely, but even that is probably out of the question.
Bill Taylor is a moron. 30 to 40 percent chance that we'll get measurable snow is about the yearly average in San Antonio. We get "measurable" snow every couple of years or so, but who gives a ?"There's a better than average chance. I would say at least that," says Bill Taylor, KENS 5 chief meteorologist.
Taylor says there's about a 30 to 40 percent chance that we'll see some measurable snow, thanks in large part to a Pacific moisture feed that's left S.A. on the soggy side lately.
Ahh, memories.
Of when you had a car.
That was Valentine's Day this year. I have pictures that I remember posting on here.
Also, Bill Taylor still owes me $20 from a football bet we made when I was an intern at KENS.
TPark - It depended where you were. On the far northeast side, we were like Manny said, inches of snow. I was at work, and had to drive home (not bad, roads empty) and back the next AM (chaos, it froze over and there was an accident at every overpass on 1604). Yes, I had to work early on Saturday. The couple of people who were at work Friday night went outside and acted like kids, but I hated the stuff by the next morning. It would be fine with me if we didn't have any snow for almost another 20 years.
Yeah last year we were at the NBA All-Star game in LA when it snowed here.
My heart bleeds for you LJ. Hahaha.
do you want to know how reliable this is??? i did a google search for san antonio snowfall and got over 10 pages of hits. Oh and 1985 was da' bomb We built a mr T snowman and painted his mohawk with that halloween hairspray paint. It was great.
ahhhhhh, i know the holiday season has begun when the wild accusations of snow start.
We went to Kansas for Thanksgiving and there was snow everywhere. Timvp, you need to take up skiing. It's awesome.
January, 1985. 17 inches. I am still amazed at what happened during that 48-hour period and I've lived in areas where there was plenty of snow. You just don't expect that in San Antonio. The city was paralyzed and nobody went to school or work for a couple of days.
The thing I remember was the stillness in the air. It was so freaking quite. No cars on the road, nothing. Good times.
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