As temperatures plunged and snow and ice whipped the state, much of Texas' power grid collapsed, followed by its water systems. Seven states, including Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas, experienced one of their coldest Februarys on record. February 2021 Temperature BreakdownFor about two weeks, many people dealt with temperatures 25 degrees below the average from the northern Rockies to the Central Plains. This was enough to push the U.S. into the record books with the coldest February in more than 30 years, running 3.2 degrees below the average. Several cities across central Texas, including Austin and Waco, broke records for the longest freezing streak between six and nine consecutive days.