Written by Danielle Ferebee

You know the expression, “When hell freezes over?” Well, I think that expression is a good way to describe the first week of February. If you thought last year’s Snowmageddon was awful, the ice this time around was much worse. The roads were iced over, the sidewalks were too dangerous to walk on, and the trees couldn’t hold the weight of the ice on their Texas weather branches. The upside to this unfortunate situation: no school. Monday night we students were all excited for a day off to engage in sleeping, eating, and doing whatever college students do with free time. However, some unlucky souls had remote classes where professors were just as tired and annoyed to zoom in as the rest of us. Here is a record of my daily thoughts throughout the snow storm. 

Day 1 of the Storm: Monday January 30, 2023 

The temperature is dropping rapidly, and I can barely see the makings of frozen raindrops on some plants. I hope school is canceled tomorrow, so I can sleep in. Damn, it’s only been three weeks of school and I already want to be done. Great. Temperature is now down to 31 degrees. 

Day 2 of the Storm: Tuesday January 31, 2023.

My classes were canceled so I slept in until noon. I’m glad the maintenance people fixed our heater before today’s frosty weather. Unfortunately, there is ice everywhere. As B.J. Thomas sang: “Icicles keep falling on my head. If I don’t watch out, I’ll probably end up dead, but okay I guess. Since it’s just Texas”. Even though it’s only day 1, I already feel captive in my  dorm room. I walked outside to see the ice and it was beautiful. The trees were crystalized with ice, light refracted through the branches. I picked off some ice off a leaf and it retained its shape. While it was slippery to walk on, it was a beautiful sight to behold.

Day 3: Wednesday February 1, 2023. 

It’s getting worse. The temperature has dropped even further. I stepped outside for a minute and my hands were as cold as ice on the ground. There wasn’t much to do on campus other than crawl to the Cove and drink some hot chocolate. My roommate and I took some photos of the ice. I went to my car to warm it up and broke ice off the windows and doors. At around 11:30 pm, the power went out. The blackout was concerning but it was even more concerning because the heat shut off as well. With no heat, there was no no way to stay warm during the storm. Fortunately for us, the maintenance people fixed the power within two hours— which is quite impressive considering it was 1:30 in the morning

Day 4: Thursday February 2, 2023.

One of my professors held a zoom class at 8:30 in the morning. It was optional so I slept in instead. The temperature has risen a bit and the ice is slowly melting. My roommate and I walked to the square to see if the town’s ice storm damage. It wasn’t as bad as the SU’s campus. But some of the shops were closed, and there were only a few people walking around. The Lamppost coffee shop, however, remained open and was quite packed considering it was a Thursday afternoon during an ice storm. I guess people were tired of being cooped up— I know I was.

Day 5: Friday February 3, 2023

The ice was all melted but the trees were still falling down at random times. The entrance to The Commons from the Academic Mall was still blocked off. A good portion of the mall was covered in broken branches and leaves. However, it was warmer again so walking and driving were no longer such a dangerous feat. 

Hell (aka school) froze over for a good few days, with school closed students got a few days of heaven: a much needed break. Unlike last year with Snowmageddon, we didn’t have to continue class in person during this ice storm. It really was a bummer. Though the ice has thawed, we were all grateful for a break from this stressful, spring semester.