Packer Weather in Dallas for the Super Bowl

From 2011 02 Super Bowl Freeze

To see more photos from the "frozen tundra" of north Texas, look here

Jeffrey Weiss, in The Dallas Morning News Richardson blog, put out a call for tales of the frigid north: Richardson super storm stories. After the jump, my attempt to comply.

---

Spoiler alert: I'm sorry if you expect a super storm story here, but this week's weather, if it happened up north, would just be considered typical winter weather -- if anything, a bit of a break between real winter storms. I'm just working with what I have.

Anyway, I awoke at 4:30 AM Tuesday morning to the sound of sleet hitting the windows. Getting out of bed, I looked out the window just in time to see car headlights in front of the house. The car drove past, having no trouble navigating the wet street. Then, there was a flash of light and the rumble of thunder. Thundersnow!

But I've seen snow before and I've heard thunder. Not often at the same time, admittedly, but still it's not something to wake the family about. So, I went back to bed. I got up again at 7:00 AM to see the sleet had changed to light snow. I called into work, saying, "The roads look passable, but I feel no need to prove my winter driving ability, so I'm staying home." Then I went back to bed (again). By noon, I had cabin fever, so it was out to lunch for me. The roads were passable, just as I had judged earlier. Lunch itself was probably the most exciting part of the outing, but as that isn't necessary to advance the plot here, I'll spare you the details. On Wednesday, with the precipitation stopped, I drove to work. No problem. Thursday, same non-story. Some super storm, right?

Then came Friday. Best. Weather. Ever. Or at least in the last four days. North Texas woke to a 6 inch blanket of snow covering everything. Even visitors from Green Bay would find it pretty, if not exactly welcome. I put on my boots, grabbed my camera and headed out. Driving, I made virgin tracks through the side streets. Sherrill Park was empty and still. Crowley Park was being enjoyed by a dog owner and one happy canine. The word "frolic" was coined for this. Snow-packed Central Expressway was all mine. No need to figure out where the lanes are. Just drive. Then, another quiet day at work.

So much for the super storm. I'm sure that decades from now, we'll look back on the great Super Bowl Freeze-Out and tell some great stories. But all I can come up with right now is, "I had to wear a winter coat and I had drive more cautiously than usual. Oh, and it snowed." Maybe a decade from now, my memory will have embellished the story enough to impress listeners.