Weather Conditions During The Siege and Battle

The following are extracts from the diaries of William F. Gray and Juan N. Almonte concerning the weather in Texas during late February and early March 1836. It becomes apparent that Walter Lord's description of the weather in A Time to Stand, an epic of the Alamo, was based on these accounts.

February 18
"It rained hard night, but this morning, like yesterday, was very foggy. Cleared off about 9 o'clock." Gray, p. 113, At San Felipe de Austin.

February 22
"This morning was clear and beautiful, the air mild, and all nature looks sweet and inviting." Gray, p. 117, Near San Felipe de Austin.

February 23
John Sutherland's horse slipped in the mud and threw him when he and John W. Smith rode out of town to investigate a report that Mexican troops were approaching San Antonio. Walter Lord, A Time to Stand, p. 94.

February 25
"Yesterday the weather was warm and cloudy, indicating rain. All the forenoon to-day we were met by a strong south breeze, blowing a drizzling rain directly in our faces. About noon the drizzle ceased, and it was so warm that I rode in my shirt sleeves. It was summer heat. At night the wind chopped suddenly round to the north, and there commenced what is familiarly called in this country a norther, by which us always understood a hard and cold blow from the north. It generally lasts for two or three days, and is sometimes so excessively cold that persons have been known to freeze to death in crossing the plains. Long observation has taught them to expect a norther between the 20th of February and 1st of March, and that generally closes the winter." Gray, p. 119, Near Washington-on-the-Brazos.

Drizzled in the morning, but the afternoon was hot and muggy. Lord, A Time to Stand, p.110

February 26
"This morning it was excessively cold for this southern region; yesterday it was summer heat. I put the thermometer out in the porch and it fell to thirty-five degrees. It being so cold, I did not start until near noon." Gray, p. 119, Near Washington-on-the-Brazos.
"The northern wind continued very strong; the thermometer fell to 39°, and during the rest of the day remained at 60°." Journal of Juan N. Almonte, p. 18, San Antonio de Béxar.
A cold, bleak day. Travis sent men to pull down the huts to the south for firewood.
Lord, A Time to Stand, p.114.
A bitter north wind. Lord, A Time to Stand, p. 116

February 27
"The wind yesterday and to-day blew hard from the north, right in my face; a most uncomfortable ride." Gray, p. 120, Approaching Washington-on-the-Brazos.
"The northern wind was strong at day break, and continued all night. Thermometer at 39°." Almonte, p. 19, San Antonio de Béxar .
Norther still blowing. Lord, A Time to Stand, p. 116.
A cold windy night. Lord, A Time to Stand, p. 117.

February 28
"Cold and drizzling." Gray, p. 120, Near Washington-on-the-Brazos.
"The weather abated somewhat. Thermometer at 40° at 7 A. M.." Almonte, p. 19, San Antonio de Béxar.
Wind had died down but it was still cold and drizzling. Lord, A Time to Stand, p. 117.

February 29
"A warm day, threatening rain from the south." Gray, p. 120, Washington-on-the-Brazos.
"The weather changed - thermometer at 55°; in the night it commenced blowing hard from the west." Almonte, p. 19, San Antonio de Béxar.
Warm and breezy. Walter Lord, A Time to Stand, p. 123

March 1
"Yesterday was a warm day, and at bed time I found it necessary to throw off some clothes. In the night the wind sprung up from the north and blew a gale, accompanied by lightning, thunder, rain, and hail, and it became very cold. In the morning the thermometer was down to 33 degrees, and everybody [was] shivering and exclaiming against the cold. The is the second regular norther that I have experienced." Gray, p. 121, Washington-on-the-Brazos.
"The wind subsided, but the weather continued cold - thermometer at 36° in the morning - day clear. Journal of Juan N. Almonte, p. 19 San Antonio de Béxar
The day dawned bitterly cold. Walter Lord, A Time to Stand, p. 128

March 2
"The morning clear and cold, but the cold somewhat moderated." Gray, p. 123, Washington-on-the-Brazos.
"Commenced clear and pleasant - thermometer 34° - no wind. Almonte, p. 19-20, San Antonio de Béxar.

March 3
"Morning clear and cold, but became more moderate as the day advanced." Gray, p. 124, Washington-on-the-Brazos.
"Commenced clear and pleasant, at 40°, without wind." Almonte, p. 20, San Antonio de Béxar.

March 4
"The day commenced windy, but not cold - thermometer 42°." Almonte, p. 20, San Antonio de Béxar.

March 5
"The day commenced very moderate - thermometer at 50° - weather clear." Almonte, p. 22, San Antonio de Béxar.
A clear, warm day. Lord, A Time to Stand, p. 146

March 6
"Beginning at one o'clock in the morning of the 6th, the columns were set in motion, and at three they silently advanced toward the river, which they crossed marching two abreast over some narrow wooden bridges. . . . The moon was up, but the density of the clouds that covered it allowed only an opaque light in our direction seeming to contribute to our designs. This half-light, the silence we kept, hardly interrupted by soft murmurs, the coolness of the morning air, the great quietude that seemed to prolong the hours, and the dangers we would soon have to face, all of this rendered our situation grave, . . . ." With Santa Anna in Texas, De La Peña, p. 46 Crisp Edition

March 7
"Commenced with a north wind." Almonte, p. 19-20, San Antonio de Béxar.

March 8
"Fine weather." Gray, p. 126 Washington-on-the Brazos.

Bibliography

Almonte, Juan Nepomuceno. "The Private Journal of Juan Nepomuceno Almonte."
Southwestern Historical Quarterly (July 1944): 10-32.

Gray, William F. From Virginia to Texas, 1835: Diary of Col. Wm. F. Gray.
Houston:The Fletcher Young Publishing Company, 1965.

Lord, Walter. A Time to Stand. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1961.

De La Peña, José Enrique. With Santa Anna in Texas: A Personal Narrative of
the Revolution. Edited by James E. Crisp. College Station: Texas A&M Press,
1997