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Central Texas experienced historic winter weather the week of Feb. 14, with a stretch of days below freezing. Sleet followed snow followed freezing rain, leading to a breakdown of the electric grid and widespread power outages. Water reservoirs were depleted and frozen pipes burst, leaving some without service for days.

Texas’ Official Death Count From The February Winter Storm Is Up To 111

Icicles hang from the roof of a house in the Travis Heights neighborhood of South Austin.
Gabriel C. Pérez
/
KUT
Icicles hang from the roof of a house in the Travis Heights neighborhood of South Austin.

New numbers from the Texas Department of State Health Services show 111 people died of causes related to last month’s winter storm.

Nine of those deaths were in Travis County — the second highest death toll in the state. Harris County had the most confirmed deaths from the storm at 31.

DSHS says the majority of the deaths were from hypothermia, but there were also fatalities caused by “motor vehicle accidents, carbon monoxide poisoning, medical equipment failure, exacerbation of chronic illness, lack of home oxygen, falls, and fire.”

The storm led to widespread blackouts in the state that lasted for days, leaving millions of Texans in homes without heat as temperatures dipped into the single digits.

This is likely not a complete count of storm-related deaths, as the state is still going through death reports.

Matt Largey
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