Anyone remember cold snap of 1983?

[Texas Grown]

Lake Worth froze over for the fith time in history in 1983. There were a few people who drove out onto the ice to get a pic just like the pic in 1930 newspaper. I drove from Grapevine in the frozen slush to crappie fish at the Lake Worth Marina. My grandfather also lived on the lake on Cahoba Dr.





I fished it again in '89. But it was not completely frozen all the way across like in '83.

https://www.thenwsun.com/in-old-lake-worth-on-frozen-lake/

[bowtecmike]

I was in high school near Lubbock. I lost 3 of 6 calves that froze to death. Remember using a t post and driver to punch through ice in stock tanks then an axe to connect the holes. Ice was over a foot thick after 5 days. Was -15 for 2 nights. I laid a wet sledge on the porch after I broke water for the dogs and couldn't get it free for four or 5 days.

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[txhunt7]

Years ago put the boat in the intercoastal at Port O'Connor and chugged down to a small hole (inlet) and yanked fish in. They don't bite, just feel the weight and reel em up and they land in the boat like a frozen log. Ice chest didnt need ice

[Tejas Wildlife]

Winter of ‘83 I was living in Clyde, TX and working 12 miles away in Abilene. Last time I owned a 2 wheel drive truck. Ice was 2-3 inches deep and I couldn’t get off the frozen driveway for 2 days.

[rolylane6]

Lake Worth froze over for the fith time in history in 1983. There were a few people who drove out onto the ice to get a pic just like the pic in 1930 newspaper. I drove from Grapevine in the frozen slush to crappie fish at the Lake Worth Marina. My grandfather also lived on the lake on Cahoba Dr.





I fished it again in '89. But it was not completely frozen all the way across like in '83.


https://www.thenwsun.com/in-old-lake...n-frozen-lake/

Man that brings back memories. I remember my neighbors dad telling us about hearing his dad talk about Lake Worth freezing over in 1930 and people driving cars on it. And the lake worth marina. I haven't thought about that place in years. Before we were old enough to drive, we would get his dad to drop us off at the marina to fish in the barge all night in the wintertime in the late 70's. Some great memories, thanks!

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[PondPopper]

I remember 83 and 89 well... Here on the coast it was just ugly.. 83 was devastating on the coastal fishery.. 89 knocked a dent in them too..
I was Jr. in high school in 83 and working for DOW chemical in 89. That place was a mess.. Thousands upon thousands of busted water lines and valves of all sizes...

[Bigfootwolff]

I was 15 years old and was staying with my great grandfather at his home in Sansom Park over the Christmas break, i also remember driving over the Lake Worth bridge on the Jacksboro Hwy and seeing trucks driving over the lake. I remener we walked along the banks of Lake Worth and the ice had to be at least 10-12 inches thick and full of frozen shad.

I remember being bored one night, and taking a 5 gallon bucket and filling it up with water. My great grandfather's station wagon was parked outside and I threw the bucket of water over the car's roof and it immediately froze a sheet of ice over the roof and over the windshield. I thougnt that was so cool, I did it several more times and it formed a really thick sheet of ice over the entire car. My great grandfather had no idea, and when he tried to leave the house the next morning, he coudln"t open any of the doors as they were frozen shut. Man was he mad at me. It took forever to boil water on his stove and ferry water back and forth to melt that ice enough to get into the car. He turned the car on, but even with it running for awhile with the defroster on, he gave up after that thick ice layer on the windshield and side windows wouldn"t melt. Man did i get an earfull.

[Tmag]

Both '83 and '89 were devastating on the trout n reds in the Galveston bay complex...
East Bay froze over for the first ever recorded... Dead fish everywhere!
Port O'Connor was bad too... Pringle Lake had thousands and thousands of fish floating that flushed through the small passes at each tide change for days and days...

When we moved to Corpus in 84 they were talking about the fish kill in 83 and folks trying to net them from the docks.

[Gary Roberson]

I was living in Madisonville working for the Federal Land Bank Association making farm and ranch loans over seven counties from Madison and east so I was out in it making appraisals. This was not just a cold snap, it lasted over a week, if not two. Most every stock tank in the country was frozen over. I visited with a relative in Menard and the San Saba River was frozen over as well.
E. T. Barrett wanted me to go duck hunting with him at the Navasot Club near Normangee where the slough and river were frozen. Tore a hole in the "dry rotted" waders he loaned me almost immediately and nearly froze to death. That was the evening I made a promise to the Good Lord, if he would just get me out of that swamp, I would never hunt ducks again. I made good on that promise.
Adios,
Gary

[Wood Man]

I remember it. My job was to go around with an axe and bust the ice on the ponds so the cattle had water to drink. I was a teenager then. I remember it was cold. I recall measuring 6 inches thick ice.

[Johnny Dangerr]

In 89 I was hunting a ranch in the Pan Handle. Killed a big buck and decided I wanted to try for a couple of ducks. Threw one decoy on the frozen pond and laughed for the first 30 minutes watching ducks trying to land and sliding across the pond. Ended up shooting a few.
Took my 357 and tried to punch holes in the ice - and it was too thick............

[GarGuy]

I was camped on the trinity river running a trap line in 83. In 89 I was at a party where the owner had a big thermometer outside a glass door. We did a countdown to zero. Hit zero at about 2am.

[muddydog]

I remember it very well. Was working on a ranch. Spent all day feeding livestock and busting ice for them. That year was very hard on the cattle. Most didn't get water for days, because they wouldn't walk on the ice to get to the water. My water pumps froze and busted as well as my plumbing.

[Monark]

Was working offshore that week. It snowed on our platform 100 miles south of Lafayette. There was nothing between us & the North Pole but a barbed wire fence & 1/2 of it was down.

[Marion]

I was pheasant hunting with a couple of friends around Nazareth TX when that front blew threw. We drove my car that I had just purchased about a month earlier and didn’t know that the thermostat was stuck open. It was -5 when we headed home and discovered that the heater wouldn’t work. We had to put our warm hunting clothes back on to stay warm, the windows frosted over on the inside of the car, that was a cold 6 hour drive home.