Houston and other cities in TX essentially closed completely for today's
threat of severe winter weather. The conditions may seem to be mild
compared to Northern cities as it was only just below freezing with freezing
rain and sleet. However, there is no snow removal equipment, no snow tires
on cars, and an inexperienced snow/ice driving population. In addition the
overpasses on the highways could ice. So all schools and city governments
closed. Public transit on highways with overpasses was curtailed, but not
on the city streets. Actually the conditions today on the regular city
streets were ok in the inner city. Downtown was deserted.
This sounds wimpy to many, but the drivers here are crazy in ice or snow
conditions, so it was a good precaution. It only happens once every 8 years
of so, so it is not a huge burden. Now closing for rain is much more
frequent as it is possible for some streets to flood over the tops of cars
and this has happened many times. I even have friends who lost cars in a
flood when they stalled out in front of the old gym at Rice U. The water
rose over the hood of the car, so it was totalled, and this was just a
normal June front, not a hurricane.