WINTER STORM

Winter Storm Uri was the event’s official name, though it was nicknamed Snowmaggedon. Uri dragged an arctic wrecking ball southward through the nation in mid-February, leaving at least 223 people dead, 210 of them perishing in Texas.

One year ago Texas experienced an unprecedented winter storm that brought single-digit temperatures to many parts of the state, including San Antonio.

From mass vaccinations and the end of pandemic restrictions in Texas to a historic winter storm and the last lap for some local leaders, 2021 delivered one overcrowded news cycle after another.

Snow in San Antonio? It’s not common but the winter storm in February brought several inches of snowfall to San Antonio and the surrounding areas.

From the winter storm and the Astroworld tragedy to new Texas laws and trash diving in the River Walk, these are the stories y’all read most this year.

The number 1 weather event of 2021 will likely come as no surprise. But do you recall the other four?

CPS Energy officials have dismissed at least three lawsuits against natural gas suppliers it accused of price gouging and charging exorbitant rates for fuel during February’s winter blast, court records obtained by the KSAT 12 Defenders show.

And a brief history of the whimsical publication

Airing at 9 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 17: A special collaboration between KSAT Explains and the Defenders

Senate bills 2 and 3 were heralded by Texas Gov. Abbott as the antidote to February’s deadly power outages. Here’s what they do.

The city of San Antonio is hoping the final findings of the February winter storm’s response efforts are polished before being released, which is why the date of release is now June 24 instead of June 15.

Most customers will see a one-time credit of $11 or less

AUSTIN, TX - SEPTEMBER 07: Matthew McConaughey watches player warmups before the game between the Texas Longhorns and the LSU Tigers at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on September 7, 2019 in Austin, Texas. Actor and Texas native Matthew McConaughey is hosting a virtual concert, titled “We’re Texas,” at 7 p.m., Sunday, to benefit those affected by Winter Storm Uri through the Just Keep Livin Foundation’s Texas Relief Fund. I’m Matthew McConaughey hailing from Austin, Texas and together #WereTexas. Join me and so many talented folks from Texas on Sunday, 3/21 at 7pm CT. Head to my https://t.co/xm9l02GWxK Let's get Texas and Texans back on their feet again - giddy up to give back @jklivinfndn pic.twitter.com/VSoPe1ydwT — Matthew McConaughey (@McConaughey) March 20, 2021“A lot of Texans are hurting right now,” McConaughey said in a release. The ‘We’re Texas’ virtual event features an all-star lineup of Texas talent for a night to restore Texas.

As temperatures plunged and snow and ice whipped the state, much of Texas' power grid collapsed, followed by its water systems. Currently, the Texas power market operates as “energy-only,” which encourages scarcity because generators are paid only when they provide power. “I absolutely think that the decision to deregulate Texas’ power grid was a mistake. At the state level, Texas should have created some type of emergency fund or plan to prepare for a winter storm. “By deregulating Texas’ power grid from others in the U.S. state leaders left us vulnerable and literally in the dark.

Bexar County Judge Nelson WolffWhat could have been done differently at the local level to better prepare for and respond to the deadly storm? “ERCOT, the manager of the state energy grid, forced CPS Energy to shed load during the long freeze event, which was the root cause of the outages in our community. We must also examine backup generators for water pumping stations.”AdDo you believe state leaders’ decision to deregulate Texas’ power grid was a mistake? “The deregulation of the state power grid answers the call of a market-based economy. We need: better communication; better coordination; and better preparation.

SAN ANTONIO – The family of a San Antonio man who died in February is suing CPS Energy over his death. The wrongful death suit, filed Monday in the 166th District Court, accused the San Antonio utility of negligence that caused the death of Esequiel Mendoza. In the week before his death, Mendoza was not able to receive his usual life-saving dialysis treatment due to controlled outages imposed by CPS Energy at the request of the state grid, ran by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. It is at least the second wrongful death suit filed against CPS Energy related to the winter storm. AdAttorneys for CPS Energy declined to address the pending litigation on Friday morning.

In this image taken through scaffolding, President Joe Biden speaks at a FEMA COVID-19 mass vaccination site at NRG Stadium, Friday, Feb. 26, 2021, in Houston. Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will visit Houston for the president’s first trip to a major disaster site since he took office last month. In Houston, Biden is expected to meet with Texas Gov. 2:20 p.m.: The president and the first lady tour the Houston Food Bank and meet volunteers. 5 p.m.: Biden delivers remarks at the FEMA COVID-19 vaccination facility at NRG Stadium.

(Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)SAN ANTONIO – Seattle Seahawks cornerback and former Judson High School standout Tre Flowers is once again stepping up to help people in the San Antonio area. Flowers arranged for a semi-truck to deliver a load of water to Karnes City on Wednesday afternoon. Flowers told KSAT his family is from Karnes City and he still has several relatives in the area, including his grandmother. Seahawks DB Tre Flowers (@_Slimm7) discusses how he set up an 18-wheeler water giveaway today at 5:30 pm at Karnes City park. Flowers and his family will distribute the water at 5:30 p.m. at Karnes City Park located on S Browne Street.

SAN ANTONIO – Last week’s devastating winter storm created dangerous conditions for the Alamo City. The San Antonio Fire Department and the San Antonio Police Department handled thousands of weather related calls, all of which made for a very busy time. According to SAFD, they responded to a total of 9,199 total incidents between Feb. 14 thru Feb. 19. The police department handled a tracked 1,454 crash calls for services between Feb. 13 - Feb. 19 as officers worked to maintain safe roadways for all drivers. Ad“We needed to come into work and we have a duty to come to protect people,” he said.

About 50 Cortland View residents were evacuated after flames engulfed their apartment homes on Thursday. According to residents, several issues led up to the sinister event. Maria Teresa Saab has been a resident of the apartment community for about three years. San Antonians have stepped up to the plate to help fellow residents in their desperate time of need. RELATED: Apartment building on North Side collapses following large fire