How Winter Storm Stella Will Affect Lubbock & Chances of a Late Winter

I guess the old-timers in Lubbock would call me a newb, I've only lived here for a total of about 35 years. Still, it seems like every year we go through a winter spell, then everything turns nice, and whammo! Another storm hits.

Is there a person in Lubbock who hasn't picked up some nice plants or grass seeds, only to have it killed by a late freeze or snow? It seems like it happens all the time. I was just about to pick up some color at the home improvement place and went, "wait, it still might freeze". So the topic intrigues me, and I thought, why not reach out to an expert? I messaged KAMC meteorologist and all around swell guy Ron Roberts for some answers.

So there are two things at play here. The first being that huge East Coast storm "Stella".  Here was Ron's take on that:

On Stella --that storm will pump up a ridge over our area and create temps in the 80s after midweek-Ron Roberts

You read that correctly, in fact, I clarified it with Ron. That east coast storm that's going to be kicking butt is actually going to be keeping us warm.

So what about one of those "second winners" that I was worried about? Ron had this to say:

Right now I don't see a hard freeze event or snow into early April. The Polar Vortex is a location that keeps us "warm" However intuitive forecasting is a 55% chance of a freeze. Only a 20% chance of a wet April snow. A wet April snow would result in less damage to plants-Ron Roberts

So there you go. You are probably safe to go ahead and start getting your gardening together. There's still a chance that we'll get below freezing, but current models aren't showing anything drastic.  Plant away!